Game Day: Preds at Jets Preview

The first road trip of the 2021-22 season has arrived for the Nashville Predators, and they'll begin their back-to-back weekend tonight in Winnipeg when they face the Jets at Canada Life Centre. This evening marks the first of three meetings between the Central Division rivals this season and Nashville's only trip to Manitoba on the campaign.
Both the Preds and the Jets will be seeking their second win of the season tonight; Nashville went 1-3-0 on a four-game homestand to begin the schedule, while Winnipeg earned their first victory on Tuesday night against Anaheim to move to 1-2-1.
Despite Nashville's record, the Predators continue to be pleased with a number of elements in their game, but they also know there are things to improve, such as finding more offensive contributions throughout the lineup.

"[A higher offensive output] is something that certainly we would like to have in our game right now as well, because if we had, we would have been in a better position than 1-3," Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm said following Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Rangers. "At the same time, that's something that obviously we can work on and be better at. I think there's a lot of fundamentals in our game that's there. When it comes to work ethic, we battle for each other. I mean, every game… it's like we just keep working, keep at them and keep standing in there. Even if they score, we score, we get one back, and we're definitely there and fighting, but it's that little detail, that last finish part that we need to find."
Predators Head Coach John Hynes made some tweaks to his lineup on Thursday night, including the reinsertion of forward Philip Tomasino, who scored his first NHL goal. Both Tomasino and fellow rookie Tommy Novak appeared in their second career games.
Tomasino and Novak played together on a line with Eeli Tolvanen, Yakov Trenin skated with Mikael Granlund and Luke Kunin, and Colton Sissons was with Nick Cousins and Tanner Jeannot. Nashville's top line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene has remained intact through the first four games of the season.
Nashville did not practice on Friday before flying to Winnipeg, but they did activate forward Mathieu Olivier from Injured Reserve before assigning him to Milwaukee of the AHL.

The Good Guys:

Tomasino was Nashville's lone goal scorer on Thursday night, and Juuse Saros made 27 saves in the loss as his record also moved to 1-3-0. Mikael Granlund leads the Preds with four points (1g-3a) in four games, followed by Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen with one goal and two assists each. Saros has a 2.05 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.

The Opposition:

After dropping their first three games of the season, the Jets defeated the Ducks by a 5-1 final on Thursday night in Winnipeg, with Kyle Connor contributing a pair of goals. In addition to his five goals on the season, Connor leads the Jets with seven points, followed by Andrew Copp with five points (3g-2a) and Pierre-Luc Dubois with four points (3g-1a). Neither Mark Scheifele or Blake Wheeler played for the Jets on Thursday as both forwards remained in COVID protocols. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is 1-2-1 in net for the Jets with a 3.75 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 26-16-(1)-4 all-time against the Jets franchise, including an 11-8-(1)-4 record on the road. Nashville and Winnipeg last met on Feb. 4, 2020 at Canada Life Centre, a 2-1 victory for the Predators thanks to an overtime goal from Mikael Granlund.
Overall, Nashville has earned at least a point in seven of its last 12 meetings with Winnipeg (6-5-1). The Preds have picked up a point in four of their last six (3-2-1) and nine of their last 14 games (7-5-2) against the Jets at Canada Life Centre.

Notables Versus Winnipeg:

Roman Josi tied the Preds franchise record for assists and points in a game with five on Feb. 27, 2018 at Winnipeg. He has 20 points (3g-17a) in 28 career games vs. the Jets.
Ryan Johansen is averaging nearly a point per game in his career against Winnipeg, tallying 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 26 games. His nine points (3g-6a) in Nashville's 2018 Second Round series vs. Winnipeg were the second-most in a single series in team history.
Filip Forsberg recorded a five-game point streak (5a) vs. Winnipeg from March 13, 2018-March 1, 2019. He has picked up at least one point in eight of his last 14 contests against the Jets and has posted 17 points (3g-14a) in 28 career games vs. Winnipeg.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening's 6 p.m. CT puck drop from Winnipeg begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 5 p.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
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