Game Day: Senators vs. Preds Preview

The Nashville Predators will look to sweep a two-game homestand tonight as they host the Ottawa Senators at Bridgestone Arena. Tonight's contest is the first of two meetings between Nashville and Ottawa this season; the Preds will visit the Sens in April to make up a game that was postponed back in November.
Nashville has shown all season that they can bounce back after a skid, and that's exactly what they did on Sunday evening with a 5-4 win over Philadelphia. Preds forward - and new dad - Tanner Jeannot played a notable part in that victory with a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, including the game-winning tally with less than two minutes to play to end Nashville's two-game losing streak.

"What a great week," Preds Captain Roman Josi said of Jeannot following Sunday's win over the Flyers. "He was great. This game kind of just sums up his season, right? He does it all. I don't know how many hits he had. He had a fight in the third [period]. He scores a goal and he gets an assist. That's just kind of his season. He just does it all for us, and I think we can't talk about him enough. He's unbelievable. He's one of those guys who does it all, and he's a great player for us, so very happy for him."
Now, the Predators will look to keep pace as they meet an Ottawa team that won't make the playoffs this season - but is still just as dangerous at this time of year.
"It wasn't so much that this was a must-win game, but this was a must-get back to our identity game," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said following Sunday's win. "And we [had] to leave the rink tonight, regardless of the end result, feeling good about how we're working, how we're playing, how we're contributing, what our identity is and getting our culture back on track. Tonight, I thought the guys played a real solid game. I thought we deserved to win the game, and it's nice to see."
"It was a great response game for us," Jeannot said. "We got back to our identity, how we want to play… That's what we want to keep doing. We want to keep building on it and keep getting wins."
Preds defenseman Matt Benning returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing time due to an upper-body injury. Fellow blueliners Dante Fabbro and Mark Borowiecki both remain out and are week-to-week with their respective injuries. The Predators did not practice on Monday, but they are expected to hold a morning skate ahead of tonight's contest.

The Good Guys:

Four different Preds scored Sunday evening against the Flyers with Yakov Trenin tallying twice before Luke Kunin, FIlip Forsberg and Jeannot also found the back of the net. Roman Josi reached the 80-point mark - and extended his point streak to 13 games - in his 64th game of the season, becoming the fifth different defenseman in NHL history to hit the mark that quickly and first since Al MacInnis 31 years ago (62 GP in 1990-91). Goaltender Juuse Saros got the start and made 19 saves to earn his 32nd win on the season.
Josi leads NHL defensemen and is tied for eighth in the NHL in points this season with 81 (18g-63a). He's established career highs in goals (18), assists (63) and points (81). His 18 goals are tied for the second-most among NHL blueliners; he is second among all NHL skaters in assists.
His 63 assists are the most in a season in Predators history; his 81 points are the most by a defenseman and are the second-most among all skaters in a season in team history. He's the second player in Predators history to record at least 80 points in a season, joining Paul Kariya, who had a franchise-best 85 points (31g-54a) in 2005-06.
Josi continues to lead the Preds in points with 81 (18g-63a), followed by Matt Duchene with 67 (34g-33a) and Forsberg with 65 (37g-28a). Mikael Granlund has 50 points (9g-41a), Ryan Johansen has 49 (17g-32a) and Jeannot has 39 (22g-17a). Saros is now 32-20-3 in net; netminder David Rittich is 5-3-1.

The Opposition:

The Senators have lost three of their last four games including a 4-3 shootout loss against Florida on Saturday evening. Brady Tkachuk leads his club in points with 46 (22g-24a), followed by Tim Stützle with 39 (14g-25a) and Josh Norris with 38 (26g-12a). Former Preds forward Austin Watson has three goals and six points for the Sens this season. Goaltender Anton Forsberg is 15-13-3 in net; netminder Matt Murray is 5-12-2.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 15-10-(0)-4 all-time against the Senators, including a 9-4-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville last played Ottawa on Feb. 25, 2020, a 3-2 victory on the road in Canada's capital.
The Predators are 3-0-2 in their last five games vs. the Senators; they are 7-0-3 in their last 10; and 5-0-0 in their last five at home. Nashville has not lost in regulation to Ottawa since Nov. 20, 2014, a 10-game span. The Predators have scored at least three goals in 10 consecutive games against the Senators.

Notables Versus Ottawa:

Josi posted a five-game point streak (4g-4a) against Ottawa from Feb. 8, 2018-Jan. 19, 2019. He has tallied 13 points (5g-8a) in 15 career meetings with the Senators, including three points (2g-1a) on Dec. 17, 2018.
Granlund has averaged nearly a point-per-game in his career vs. Ottawa, posting 12 points (1g-11a) in 13 games. Granlund has seven points (1g-6a) in his last four games against the Sens, including a three-assist effort on Nov. 21, 2018.
Duchene has 10 points (4g-6a) in 15 career games against his former club. He spent parts of two seasons with the Senators from 2017-19, recording 107 points (50g-57a) in 118 games.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Kara Hammer 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 6 p.m. with Darren McFarland. Tonight's game will also be broadcasted on El Jefe presented by Don Beto powered by ETHNIX GROUP and will be carried on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.