The Nashville Predators will look for their fourth consecutive win as they start a back-to-back set through eastern Canada on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
With this trip, the second of four back-to-backs in December, the challenge will not only be stopping Toronto’s offensive talent, but keeping focused on the immediate task at hand.
“We just need to take it a game at a time,” Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Thursday’s game. “We're in a tough stretch. I think we're 14 [games] in 26 [days] and Tuesday we'll come back and have another tough one against Philadelphia. So, it’s one game at a time. I think when you look too far down the road or you look past the one game, I find I've always gotten in trouble.”
In recent years, the Predators have struggled at Scotiabank Arena, posting a 1-3-1 record in their last five road games against the Leafs. To find success, Brunette says the details of Nashville’s game will need to be sharp.
“We have a really tough opponent in Toronto,” Brunette said. “We probably have to be a little cleaner with the puck in that building, and we’ve got some things that we can probably do a little bit better.”
Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio. Here's everything you need to know:
LAST TIME OUT
On Thursday, the Predators scored five times - twice on the power play - and went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill en route to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Juuso Pärssinen (PPG), Filip Forsberg (PPG), Ryan McDonagh, Roman Josi and Yakov Trenin scored for Nashville. Goaltender Juuse Saros made 32 saves and earned his third win in as many starts.
The victory was Nashville’s ninth in their last 11 games and moved the team to 14-12-0 on the season.
THE GOOD GUYS
Forsberg leads the Predators in points (29), goals (13) and assists (16). Ryan O’Reilly is second in points with 22 (12g-10a) and Roman Josi third with 18 (5g-13a).
Saros is 11-10-0 after 21 games, with a 2.93 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Kevin Lankinen is 3-2-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage after seven games.
Nashville sits fifth in the Central Division with 28 points.
THE OTHER GUYS
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-3 and extended their point streak to four games (4-0-1). The Leafs are fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 13-6-4 record, and a 7-4-1 record at home.
William Nylander leads the Leafs offense with 30 points (13g-17a). Auston Matthews (16g-9a) and Mitch Marner (9g-16a) are second with 25 each. John Tavares is third with 22 (7g-15a).
Toronto’s No. 1 goaltender Joseph Woll exited Thursday’s game early with an apparent lower-body injury. Netminder Martin Jones made nine saves in a relief effort and was credited with the win.
Backup goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who has missed two consecutive games due to illness, is 4-1-3 after 10 games, with a 3.58 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 15-13-(1)-2 all-time against the Maple Leafs, including an 8-7-(1)-1 record on the road. This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and Toronto in 2023-24 and the first and only at Scotiabank Arena.
The Predators are 1-0-0 against the Maple Leafs this season, earning a 3-2 win in OT on Oct. 28 at Bridgestone Arena. Josi scored the OT winner for his first goal of the season as part of a two-point effort (1g-1a).
The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games against the Maple Leafs; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10; and 1-3-1 in their last five on the road.
NOTABLES VS. TORONTO
- Forsberg broke David Legwand’s record for most goals in Predators history by scoring his 211th on March 19, 2022 against Toronto. He owns eight goals and 15 points in 14 career games vs. the Maple Leafs.
- Tyson Barrie has 12 points (2g-10a) in 22 career games vs. Toronto. Barrie played in 70 games for the Maple Leafs in 2019-20, recording 39 points (5g-34a).
- O’Reilly played the final 13 games of the 2022-23 regular season with the Maple Leafs, where he had four goals and 11 points. He added nine points (3g-6a) in 11 postseason games.
- Luke Schenn was selected by Toronto in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He played in 325 games across parts of five seasons for the Maple Leafs (2008-12; 2022-23) and posted 76 points (15g-61a).
- O’Reilly (Clinton), Luke Evangelista (Toronto) and Philip Tomasino (Mississauga) are Ontario natives.
- Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok skated in 508 games for Nashville from 2013-21, tallying 211 points (94g-117a).
MILESTONE WATCH
- Colton Sissons is two assists from 100 in his NHL career.
- Josi (164) is three goals from passing Shea Weber (166) for the third-most in Predators history.
- Lankinen is five games from 100 in his NHL career.
LINE ‘EM UP
Below are Nashville’s line combinations from Thursday’s game against Tampa Bay:
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Nyquist
Pärssinen - Novak - Evangelista
Trenin - Sissons - Smith
Sherwood - McCarron- Tomasino
McDonagh - Josi
Lauzon - Fabbro
Stastney - Schenn
Saros
Scratches: Tyson Barrie, Alexandre Carrier (upper body, week-to-week)
\IR: Cody Glass \
WATCH & LISTEN
Coverage for Saturday’s game begins at 6 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. The game can also be streamed live on Fubo; click here for a 14-day free trial.
Pete Weber and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.
