GAME DAY: Islanders vs. Preds, January 8

After a six-game road trip - and seven straight away from home - the Nashville Predators are finally back in Tennessee tonight to host the New York Islanders at Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the first of two meetings between the Preds and Isles this season and begins a four-game homestand for Nashville.

The Predators went 3-3-0 on their six-game excursion out west, including wins over the Mammoth, Golden Knights and Flames with Steven Stamkos scoring his 600th NHL goal in the process. However, the Preds finished the trip with a 6-2 loss in Edmonton on Tuesday.

Despite that most recent result, the Predators still have plenty of good to take from the trip, and they’ll look to get back into the win column tonight.

“Well, I think there's a lot of good on this road trip,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Tuesday’s loss to the Oilers. “I guess a little disappointing how we ended it, but in saying that, if we can learn a little bit from this, because there's the other times we played a lot of really good teams in League with elite players, and they're going to have their offense sometimes, and they're going to have their looks. I thought for the most part, at different stretches, we weathered it a little bit, we just didn't stick with it. That's something that we've done really well through this road trip, and something that will reinforce here as we keep going.”

The Predators did not practice on Wednesday as they traveled back from Edmonton. Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged on Tuesday as the team went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Matthew Wood was a healthy scratch, and Jonathan Marchessault remained out with a lower-body injury.

Stamkos will be honored for his 600-goal milestone with a special pregame ceremony prior to puck drop inside Bridgestone Arena.

The Good Guys:

Ryan O’Reilly and Nick Blankenburg tallied against the Oilers, while Juuse Saros took the loss in net. O’Reilly (12g-24a) continues to lead the Preds with 36 points, followed by Filip Forsberg (16g-15a) and Luke Evangelista (6g-25a) with 31 points. Steven Stamkos paces the Preds with 18 goals on the season; Michael Bunting has 11 goals and 25 points. Saros is now 16-14-3 in net; Justus Annunen is 3-5-1.

The Opposition:

The Islanders have won two of three in the new year, including a 9-0 triumph over New Jersey on Tuesday night, one of the largest margins of victory in recent memory. Mathew Barzal (11g-24a) leads New York with 35 points, followed by Bo Horvat with 21 goals and 33 points. Rookie defenseman and 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer has 12 goals and 29 points from the blueline, while Anders Lee has 10 goals and 25 points. Ilya Sorokin is 13-10-2 in net this season; former Preds goaltender David Rittich is 11-5-2.

All-Time Meetings:

The Preds are 24-10-(0)-3 all-time against the Islanders, including a 14-4-(0)-1 mark at home. Nashville is 8-2-0 in the last 10 outings versus New York and a perfect 5-0-0 in the last five at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus New York:

In a run that began on Feb. 5, 2018, Nashville won 10 games in a row against New York, a streak that was snapped on April, 6 2024. It was tied for the franchise’s then-longest active win streak vs. a single opponent (San Jose). Nashville’s only 3-on-5 goal in franchise history came against the Islanders on Oct. 15, 2002 (Karlis Skrastins).


Predators General Manager Barry Trotz served as the Head Coach for the New York Islanders from 2018-22. He led New York to back-to-back Eastern Conference Final appearances in 2019 and 2020. Trotz won the Jack Adams Award with the Islanders in 2019, given to the NHL’s top head coach.

Milestone Watch:

Nic Hague is two games from 400 in his NHL career.

Steven Stamkos is two goals from passing Jari Kurri for the 21st-most in NHL history.

Barry Trotz is three wins from 100 as an NHL general manager.

Watch & Listen:

Tonight’s contest will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)