Nashville Predators: Blame the cold weather on the Jets visiting tonight

The Winnipeg Jets visit Bridgestone Arena tonight to face the Nashville Predators. A win for the home team all but locks up the division title.

What happened to the warm weather? Over the weekend, it was warm and sunny but the last two days were bitter and snowy. Must be because the Winnipeg Jets are in town. They are on a mission to make the Nashville Predators’ season take a cold turn. A win for the Jets would close the points gap on the Central Division leaders to four points. It will be a tall task, however.

Seven players for the Jets are currently out due to injury, most notably Mark Scheifele. They are also coming in on the second night of a back-to-back, losing to the Washington Capitals in overtime last night. Patrik Laine continued his hot play, gaining goal 41 on the season. The good news for the Predators is Connor Hellebuyck was in net last night, and backup Steve Mason is also injured.

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Nashville’s looks to rebound from a cold performance on Saturday. Though they took 62 shots, only 36 were on net. Only Nick Bonino, Ryan Hartman, and Mike Fisher failed to register a shot for the entire game. A late goal from Ryan Johansen tied the match against New Jersey, but the Predators fell in a shootout. Of course, the Predators are used to Frosty conditions, scoring for or more goals in seven of their last ten games.

For the season, the Nashville Predators hold a 2-1-0 advantage over Winnipeg; however, the Jets took one game at Bridgestone earlier in the season. A Predators win means an 8-point lead in the division, putting the pressure on the Jets in the season dogfight.

Projected Lineup

Juuse Saros was in net for the game against the New Jersey Devils, meaning Pekka Rinne will see action tonight. The Predators will unleash their regular line-up tonight, keeping the top two lines entact. Calle Jarnkrok returns to the third line after a night off last game, and Mike Fisher centers the fourth line.

Filip Forsberg – Ryan Johansen – Viktor Arvidsson

Kevin Fiala – Kyle Turris – Craig Smith

Ryan Hartman / Scott Hartnell – Nick Bonino – Calle Jarnkrok

Colton Sissons – Mike Fisher – Austin Watson

Defense

Roman Josi – Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm – P.K. Subban

Alexei Emelin – Yannick Weber

Goaltenders

Pekka Rinne

Juuse Saros

Next: Power Rankings for March 12

Where to watch

Tonight’s game will air on Fox Sports Tennessee at 7:00 p.m. Central, with pregame starting at 6:30 p.m. You can also view the game on the Fox Sports Go app or listen on 102.5 The Game in Nashville.