After an overtime victory on Thursday night in South Florida, the Nashville Predators are set to conclude their two-game trip tonight in Raleigh when they face the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center for a 6 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the first of two meetings between the Preds and Canes this season; Nashville will host Carolina in two weeks.
The Predators have won four out of their last five games, including a 2-1 OT triumph against the Panthers to start their current trip. Now, Nashville will look to carry that momentum into Raleigh on the heels of a gritty road win.
“We just talked about just [playing] a game at a time,” Preds forward Steven Stamkos said following Thursday’s win. “You can't look too far ahead. We're not in a position to do that. It's just, try to string together as many wins as possible. So, this is a game that you can build on for sure.”
Preds forward Michael McCarron returned to the lineup Thursday after missing one game with a lower-body injury, but defenseman Nick Perbix remained out with an upper-body injury. Tyson Jost and Justin Barron (lower body) were also scratched for Nashville.
Predators winger Ozzy Wiesblatt left Thursday’s game in the first period and did not return due to an upper-body injury. On Friday, the Preds placed Wiesblatt (upper body, 8-10 weeks) and Barron (upper body, week-to-week) on Injured Reserve.
Nashville did not practice on Friday, but they are expected to hold a morning skate today in Raleigh ahead of tonight’s game.
The Good Guys:
Ryan O’Reilly scored Nashville’s only regulation goal on Thursday night with just seven minutes to play before Stamkos ended things in overtime against the Panthers. The Predators were perfect on the penalty kill, and goaltender Juuse Saros made 30 saves for his ninth win of the season.
O’Reilly leads the Preds with nine goals and 21 points, followed by Luke Evangelista with 14 assists and 18 points. Filip Forsberg also has nine goals to go alone with 17 points, and Stamkos now has eight goals on the season. Saros is 9-9-3 in net; Justus Annunen is 1-4-1.
The Opposition:
The Hurricanes started their December schedule with a 5-1 loss to Toronto on Thursday night but sit second overall in the Eastern Conference. Sebastian Aho (8g-17a) leads Carolina with 25 points, followed by Seth Jarvis with 16 goals and 23 points. Former Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers has five goals and 16 points with his new club. Frederik Andersen, who took the loss on Thursday, is 5-7-2 in net; Brandon Bussi is 7-1-0.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 22-20-(1)-4 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 9-11-(1)-3 mark in Raleigh. Nashville is 7-3-0 in their last 10 versus Carolina and 3-2-0 in the past five outings at Lenovo Center.
Notables Versus Carolina:
Steven Stamkos has recorded 51 points (23g-28a) in 60 career games against the Hurricanes. He has 10 points (4g-6a) in his past nine games against the Hurricanes.
Filip Forsberg owns eight goals and 18 points in 24 career meetings with Carolina. He recorded a season-high three assists in the first contest against Carolina last season.
Nashville picked up its first-ever victory as an NHL franchise on Oct. 13, 1998 in a 3-2 win over Carolina. Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette scored the franchise’s first goal at 5:12 of the first period.
Brady Skjei skated in 302 games for the Hurricanes from 2020-24, notching 135 points (43g-92a). Skjei established a career high in points with the Hurricanes in 2023-24, leading team blueliners with 47 (13g-34a). Additionally, he averaged 21:17 of ice time, the second-most in his career.
Michael Bunting played 60 games for Carolina in 2023-24, recording 36 points (13g-23a).
Erik Haula played 41 games for Carolina in 2019-20, recording 22 points (12g-10a).
Tyson Jost played 39 games for Carolina in 2024-25, recording nine points (4g-5a).
Milestone Watch:
Filip Forsberg is two points from 700 in his NHL career.
Luke Evangelista is two games from 200 in his career.
Jonathan Marchessault is five assists from 300 in his NHL career.
Erik Haula is five assists from 200 in his NHL career.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.
