Nashville Predators Look To Halt The Washington Capitals Hot Start
By Colby Guy
Two of the best teams in hockey will duke it out for the first of two times tonight, as the Washington Capitals will pay a visit to the Nashville Predators.
The Nashville Predators will be looking to halt a Washington Capitals team that is off to a pretty hot start, as they come into tonight’s game with a 2-0-2 record, which is good for second in the Metropolitan Divison, only behind the league-leading Hurricanes.
Among the Caps players that the Predators have to look out for is Evgeny Kuznetzov, who had just returned from a three-game suspension on Tuesday where he scored a goal in the Capitals 4-3 OT loss to the Dallas Stars.
Another name the Preds should be concerned about is John Carlson, who is off to a torrid start this season, leading the Capitals in points with five in their four games thus far while anchoring their blue line.
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The Nashville Predators will be coming into this game with a hot hand of their own, as Matt Duchene currently leads the NHL in assists with six of them and is within range of first place in points despite not scoring a single goal in the first three games of the season.
Duchene could be due for one tonight, as the Nashville Predators have had great success offensively against the Washington Capitals in recent matchups.
Last season, the Predators swept the season series against the Caps, winning those two games 7-2 and 6-3 respectively.
With all four lines looking ready to go, the Preds look to replicate that success again tonight, and it will come with some changes in the lineup.
Daniel Carr will be making his Nashville Predators debut tonight, as he will be slotting in on the fourth line alongside Kyle Turris and Craig Smith, as he will be taking Rocco Grimaldi‘s spot in the lineup tonight.
Calle Jarnkrok will also make an unexpected move to the first line tonight alongside Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson.
It’s a risky move that creates a lot of depth throughout the lineup but could create a huge hinderance on the top line, as Jarnkrok has been horrid to start the season.
This could be Jarnkrok’s last chance to compete for a regular spot in the lineup as well because if he flops on the top line, Daniel Carr could take his permanent spot away from him, which makes him a player to watch in this game.
Next. Matt Duchene Is Living Up To The Hype. dark
You can watch all of these things and more go down tonight at 7 p.m. CDT on Fox Sports Tennessee or listen to it on the radio on 102.5 The Game.