NHLBAM2_18CARvsNSHPreview1

Following a weekend sweep of the St. Louis Blues, the Nashville Predators will try to make it four-straight wins overall, when the Carolina Hurricanes make a stop at Bridgestone Arena this evening. It's the second and final meeting of the season between the two clubs; the Preds shut out the Canes, 3-0, in Carolina back in November.
After blanking the New York Islanders, 5-0, on Thursday night, the Predators defeated the Blues twice in two days, first on Saturday in St. Louis by a 4-3 final, and then on Sunday in Nashville with a 2-1 victory.
The stretch is Nashville's first three-game winning streak since October, and while there's still plenty of work to do over the next seven weeks to try and secure a playoff spot, there's a renewed belief among the group.

"It's growing," Preds forward Kyle Turris said of his team's confidence. "It's the time of the year you want it to be growing too. You want to get hot at the right time. We have a lot of work to do and ground to make up, but at the same time, we're trying to move in the right direction."
Juuse Saros earned the win on Saturday for the Predators, before Pekka Rinne backstopped his club to a second win in two days. Other than a change in goal, the Preds iced the same lineup in both weekend outings against the Blues.
Defenseman Ryan Ellis (IR) continues to skate with the team, but he has not played since he was injured on New Year's Day. The Predators did not practice on Monday following the home-and-home set over the weekend.

Last Time Out:
Craig Smith scored in the second period for the Preds on Sunday, before Turris tallied the game-winner with roughly two minutes to play in regulation. Rinne made a season-high 38 saves in net to collect his 18th win of the season.
Roman Josi saw his five-game point streak come to an end on Sunday, but he still leads the club with 57 points on the season, followed by Filip Forsberg with 40 and Matt Duchene with 38. Forsberg's 18 goals lead the club, but Smith and Nick Bonino are right behind him with 17 apiece.

Tinordi, Turris & Watson preview the Hurricanes

The Opposition:
The Hurricanes have alternated wins and losses in their last four outings, including a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. Sebastian Aho leads Carolina with 33 goals and 56 points, and Teuvo Teravainen also has 56 points on the season. Andrei Svechnikov has 23 goals and 54 points; Martin Necas has 15 goals and 31 points to his name. Petr Mrazek is 19-15-2 in net for the Canes, and James Reimer is 14-6-2 on the season.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 15-11-(1)-3 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 9-4-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville is seeking its first home win over Carolina since Oct. 8, 2015, a three-game span.
After enjoying success against Carolina in the late 2000s and early 2010s - featuring an eight-game point streak (6-0-2) from 2008-12 - the Predators have dropped six of their last seven to the Hurricanes. The Preds earned 3-0 shutout victory over the Hurricanes on Nov. 29 thanks to Pekka Rinne's 31-save shutout.

Coach Hynes previews the Hurricanes

Notables Versus Carolina:
Kyle Turris is Nashville's leader in career points versus Carolina, recording 12 (6g-6a) in 21 games.
Mikael Granlund has produced at nearly a point-per-game pace in his career against Carolina, tallying 11 points (4g-7a) in 12 contests. He also has points in three of his last four games versus the Hurricanes (2g-2a).
Ryan Johansen has nine points (2g-7a) in 17 meetings with the Hurricanes and had a four-game point streak (1g-3a) against Carolina from Jan. 27, 2014-Nov. 4, 2014. Filip Forsberg scored twice versus. Carolina on Jan. 13, 2019 and has six points (3g-3a) in 10 career meetings with the Hurricanes.
When You Go:
Bridgestone Arena doors open at 5:30 p.m. CT ahead of tonight's 7 p.m. puck drop. All fans in attendance will receive an LED Rally Towel presented by Wendy's.
The Fifth Annual Pride Night presented by the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce and Nashville Pride will take place tonight. To kick off the exciting night out, those who purchase a Pride Night package will be invited to join LGBT Chamber members and the Nashville Pride community for a mixer in the Bridgestone Arena meeting rooms.
As the Predators and Hurricanes take the ice for warm-ups on Pride Night, they will show their support for all teammates, coaches and fans in the LGBTQ community by wrapping their hockey sticks with rainbow-colored Pride Tape.
Player-signed pride pucks and jerseys will be available for purchase at the Foundation area (outside of Section 106/107). All proceeds will benefit You Can Play, the Nashville LGBT Chamber and Launch Pad, a nonprofit that works to affirm, welcome and provide street-free sleep for LGBTQ youth.
Watch and Listen:
Coverage for tonight's contest begins with Smashville Live on Fox Sports Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. with 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 side begins at 6 p.m. CT with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
.
If the Predators are playing hockey, you can count on the game being on at Preds Approved Bars & Restaurants. Locations throughout Tennessee may be seen by
clicking here
.
Streaming Info:
Listen to a Live Radio Feed
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Watch a Live Stream of the game
on the Fox Sports Go App or
Watch on NHL.TV