The Nashville Predators are set to conclude their five-game homestand tonight with a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena as they begin a home-and-home set with the San Jose Sharks. This evening’s contest marks the first of three meetings between the two clubs this season; the Preds will travel to San Jose twice in the weeks ahead.
After beginning the homestand with a loss to Washington, the Predators have won each of their last three outings, including a 6-2 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. Now, Nashville will look to continue their strong play in search of their first four-game win streak of the campaign.
“For us right now, where we're at, we’ve just got to stay a little bit present and take care of business the next game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Saturday’s win. “I think we’ve played well enough to have better results than we've had through [this recent] stretch. [Over the past month or so], I thought we’ve played really good hockey. We didn't always get rewarded, but we've been stacking those games, and now we're seeing some at home, which is fun. Crowd was electric. It was fun to play in front of fun to be a part of. And can we grab that and keep running with it?”
Predators forward Mark Jankowski, who left Saturday’s game and did not return, missed practice Monday and is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Winger Cole Smith, who remains on Injured Reserve, practiced again on Monday, and Brunette indicated he is close to returning to the lineup.