GAME DAY: Preds at Canucks, March 12

After a comeback win in Seattle on Tuesday night, the Nashville Predators will try for another two points tonight when they face the Vancouver Canucks for a 9 p.m. CT puck drop at Rogers Arena. This evening’s contest is the third and final meeting between the two clubs this season; the clubs have split a pair of games in Nashville already.

The Predators found themselves in a two-goal deficit after the first period against the Kraken, but four unanswered goals delivered another comeback win to bring Nashville one point out of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. 

“We're just excited to be in it,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Tuesday night of the playoff hunt. “Nobody gave us a chance to be anywhere near it. The guys battled back, got ourselves into these games, and we're trying to enjoy it. We’re trying to enjoy the ride, because we are not supposed to be here. Nothing is expected of us, so let's have fun with it.”

Forward Ozzy Wiesblatt was Nashville’s lone healthy scratch on Tuesday night in Seattle. The Predators practiced on Wednesday afternoon in Vancouver ahead of tonight’s game.

The Good Guys:

Ryan Ufko’s first NHL goal was a beauty - and it proved to be the game-winner against the Kraken. Tyson Jost, Reid Schaefer and Steven Stamkos also found the back of the net, and Juuse Saros made 43 saves to lead the Preds to a 4-2 victory. 

Ryan O’Reilly (22g-39a) leads the Preds with 61 points, followed by Filip Forsberg with 28 goals and 53 points, then Stamkos with 31 goals and 51 points. Luke Evangelista has 38 assists and 47 points; Roman Josi has 11 goals and 43 points from the blue line. Saros is now 23-19-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 6-8-2. 

The Opposition:

The Canucks have dropped six of their last seven outings, including a 2-0 loss to Ottawa on Monday, and sit at the bottom of the NHL standings. Elias Pettersson (13g-25a) leads the Canucks with 38 points, followed by Filip Hronek (6g-30a) with 36 points and Jake DeBrusk (14g-18a) with 32 points. Former Preds goaltender Kevin Lankinen is 7-21-5 on the season; Nikita Tolopilo is 4-5-2 in 13 appearances. 

All-Time Meetings:

The Preds are 38-43-(2)-8 all-time against the Canucks, including an 18-24-(1)-1 mark on the road. Nashville is 4-4-2 in the last 10 versus Vancouver and 3-1-1 in the past five meetings in British Columbia. 

Zach L’Heureux scored his first career NHL goal on Nov. 17, 2024 at Vancouver (Kevin Lankinen), and Ozzy Wiesblatt made his NHL debut on Jan. 3, 2025 at Vancouver.

Nashville Notables:

Ryan Ufko became Nashville’s fifth rookie to find the back of the net this season; the last time the Predators had at least five rookies score in the same campaign was 2015-16 (6). Ufko became the fifth defenseman in Predators history to have his first NHL goal be a game-winner.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 8:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.