NHLBAM1_18CARvsNSHPreview3

The Nashville Predators went 2-for-2 against their first opponent to begin the 2020-21 season, and they'll try to do the same over the next 48 hours against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Preds are set to host the Canes tonight and tomorrow at Bridgestone Arena, the first two of a scheduled eight meetings between the new Central Division foes in the new-look schedule.
After allowing the first goal in both of their meetings against the Columbus Blue Jackets last week, the Predators came back on both occasions, topping the Jackets by a 3-1 final on Opening Night before scoring four goals in the third period during Saturday's 5-2 triumph.
\[View: Virtual, Interactive Preds Press\]
\[Read More: Preds Projected Lineup vs. Hurricanes\]

The Preds are certainly satisfied with the four points they've quickly collected in the standings, and while there is still plenty of room for improvement in the early going, they found ways to win under the circumstances, and that's not a bad thing.
"[We had] a little bit of adversity in both games, which I do like," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said following Saturday's win. "When you play in tight games like this, there's great learning lessons from it. I think [those lessons are] really good for this hockey team that you have to play the game the right way, and your decisions matter and every play matters… When you're in tight hockey games, you really have to be mentally tough, mentally focused and you've got to continue to battle and do the right things. You got to have mental stamina and competitive stamina, and that's what I think we've taken out of these games and something we've got to continue to build off of."
The Predators held meetings and off-ice workouts on Sunday morning, and they returned Mathieu Olivier to their taxi squad after the forward skated 11:58 of ice time against Columbus on Saturday.

The Good Guys:
A total of 11 skaters registered one point for the Predators in their 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday with Rocco Grimaldi, Filip Forsberg, Brad Richardson (game-winning goal), Luke Kunin and Colton Sissons all finding the back of the net. Both Forsberg and Kunin have two goals for Nashville, one in each contest thus far.
Goaltender Juuse Saros started both games for the Preds to start the season, including a 42-save performance on Saturday night.
Fifteen different Preds have registered at least one point through two games, with Forsberg (2g), Kunin (2g), Richardson (1g-1a) and Grimaldi (1g-1a) all tied for the team lead in scoring with two points apiece. Saros owns a 1.50 goals-against average and a .959 save percentage in his pair of starts.
The Opposition:
Carolina went 1-1-0 in Detroit to begin their season against the Red Wings by winning on Opening Night, 3-0, before suffering a 4-2 defeat on Saturday night.
Andrei Svechnikov has two goals and a helper to lead the Hurricanes with three points, followed by Teuvo Teravainen with a pair of assists. Nino Neidereiter, Ryan Dzingel and Vincent Trochek have also tallied one goal each on the young season. Goaltender Petr Mrazek started both games for the Canes to earn a 1.53 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage thus far.

Forsberg, Josi talk Canes. Sbisa chats new team

All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 15-12-(1)-3 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 9-5-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. After enjoying success against Carolina in the late 2000s and early 2010 - including an eight-game point streak (6-0-2) from 2008-12 - the Predators have dropped seven of their last eight against the Hurricanes.
Nashville is seeking its first home win over Carolina since Oct. 8, 2015, a three-game span. The Predators and Hurricanes split their two-game regular-season series in 2019-20, with Nashville earning a 3-0 victory in Raleigh on Nov. 29, 2019.
Nashville won its first game as an NHL franchise on Oct. 13, 1998, in a 3-2 victory over Carolina. Andrew Brunette scored the franchise's first goal at 5:12 of the first period.
Notables Versus Carolina:
Filip Forsberg scored twice versus Carolina on Jan. 13, 2019, and has six points (3g-3a) in 10 career games against the Hurricanes. Ryan Johansen has 10 points (3g-7a) in 18 career meetings with the Hurricanes and had a four-game point streak (1g-3a) against Carolina from Jan. 27, 2014 to Nov. 4, 2014.
Pekka Rinne is 7-3-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 11 career contests against Carolina. Rinne earned his first career shutout versus the Hurricanes on Nov. 29, 2019, in a 31-save effort.

Coach Hynes talks goaltending, Willie O'Ree impact

Watch & Listen:
Coverage for tonight's game from Nashville begins on FOX Sports Tennessee at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Crisp and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Jay More 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. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here

Hynes_118_MLKDay3

Streaming Info:
Listen to a Live Radio Feed
(only active during the game broadcast window).
Watch a Live Stream of the game
on the Fox Sports Go App or
Watch on NHL.TV