Game Day: Preds at Panthers Preview

One of the biggest weeks in Predators franchise history has arrived, and the schedule begins tonight in Florida against the Panthers. Tonight's contest between the Preds & Panthers is the first of two meetings between the clubs; Nashville will host Florida in April.
Winless in their last four outings, the Predators are eager for another chance to collect two points as they venture to the Sunshine State, and that single contest will remain the team's focus with more festivities looming.
On Thursday, the Preds will retire former goaltender Pekka Rinne's jersey prior to hosting the Dallas Stars, and then Nashville will go outside to meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series on Saturday night. Anticipation is high for both events, but the Predators know they'll be even more enjoyable with on-ice success.

"It is a special week for the players and for the organization and in the city of Nashville, and it's great to be part of it, but you have to be focused on the task at hand," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Monday. "Take each situation and each challenge one step at a time, and I think if we do that, we'll give ourselves a good chance to not only enjoy the things that are going on that are a bit different this week than in a normal week, but also put ourselves in a position to win games."
"It's a big week," Preds Captain Roman Josi said. "Sometimes you're going to go through some lows during the season, and right now, obviously [we've lost] four in a row. We have some big games coming up with some really good teams. Florida, [they're] probably the best team in the League right now. And Dallas, a Central Division [matchup] is always a big game. Then Tampa, one of the best teams in the League. It's a great opportunity for us to play some really good teams and get out of this."
Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki left Friday's game in Carolina with an apparent injury and did not return. Preds forward Nick Cousins remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
On Monday, the Preds recalled forward Matt Luff from Milwaukee and reassigned forward Cole Smith to the Admirals.

The Good Guys:

Luke Kunin, Filip Forsberg and Tanner Jeannot all tallied during Friday's 5-3 loss in Carolina, and Juuse Saros took the loss in net.
Josi (13g-38a) continues to lead the Preds in points with 51 points, followed by Matt Duchene (23g-21a) with 44 points and then Forsberg (25g-16a) with 41 points. Mikael Granlund has 32 assists and 39 points on the season, Ryan Johansen (13g-23a) has 36 points and rookie Tanner Jeannot has 15 goals and 29 points. Saros is 24-15-3 in net.

The Opposition:

The Panthers have won their last three contests, including a 5-2 victory over Chicago on Sunday. Jonathan Huberdeau (17g-53a) leads Florida - and is just one point off of the League lead in scoring - with 70 points. Sam Reinhart (17g-30a) and Aaron Ekblad (13g-34a) have 47 points apiece, while Aleksander Barkov (23g-22a) has 45 points. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky 26-4-3 in net with a .919 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 17-18-(3)-2 all-time against the Panthers, including an 8-10-(1)-1 record on the road. The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games vs. the Panthers; they are 3-6-1 in their last 10; and 2-3-0 in their last five on the road.
Nashville went 3-5-0 against Florida during the 2020-21 regular season when both teams were part of the Central Division for the first time. In front of a sell-out crowd of 17,298, the Predators played their first-ever NHL game against the Panthers on Oct. 10, 1998.

Notables Versus Florida:

Filip Forsberg has 17 points (4g-12a) in 16 career games against Florida, with 10 of those points (3g-7a) coming in six contests last season. He recorded his first career five-point game on Feb. 4, 2021 at Florida (2g-3a).
Ryan Johansen posted a three-game point streak vs. Florida from Feb. 4-March 6, 2021, recording a goal and two assists. He owns 11 points (3g-8a) in 24 career contests against the Panthers.
Roman Josi has 17 points (6g-11a) in 20 career games vs. Florida. Juuse Saros made a career-high 49 saves on April 27, 2021 vs. Florida.
Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist was selected by the Predators in the seventh round (230th overall) of the 2005 NHL Draft. He posted 216 points (106g-110a) in 363 games with Nashville from 2008-14.
Panthers Head Coach Andrew Brunette played one season for the Predators during the team's inaugural season in 1998-99. Brunette scored the first goal in Predators history on Oct. 13, 1998 vs. Carolina.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 6 p.m. CT puck drop from Sunrise 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.