The Nashville Predators are coming home after a long road trip in Canada to take on the Anaheim Ducks. After falling short to their division rival in the Winnipeg Jets 4-1, the Preds now set have their record set at 2-2-2 as they sit in the bottom of the central division. If the Nashville is looking for a way to get back into the win column, tonight's match is crucial.
Anaheim is youth-driven by the likes of Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, Lukas Dostal. They've had a relatively similar start to the season, sitting at a 2-2-1 record, just one point behind the Predators. They're coming off a weekend overtime loss from the Chicago Blackhawks on the road. They'll enter Bridgestone Arena with pressure as they look to get their first win in the central.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashvill Predators Last Ten Matchups
The Predators and Ducks are both 5-5-0 in their last ten games against each other. Anaheim won all three matchups last season, with two being in blowout fashion. They rivaled each other in Nashville this March where Anaheim asserted dominance in a 4-1 win. If the Preds want to redeem themselves and continue the point streak at home, they must pressure through and hunt the ducks.
In terms of their stats for this season, both squads got a -4-goal differential with Anaheim playing one less game than Nashville. The ducks are 1-1-1 on the road while Nashville is 1-0-1. Their offense and defense are interchangeable so on paper, it looks like an even matchup. However, there are X-factors for each team; Let's take a look at the impact players on both teams.
Players to Watch Tonight: Ducks at Predators
Looking at the Ducks roster, one player I would not want to mess with is Chris Kreider. Ever since getting traded out of the New York Rangers organization, he has been on a heater. He's a point-per-game so far with four of his tallies being goals. After being on a quite patch as of late, Kreider might be looking for a way to strike back big time. Nashville's defense should be all over him tonight and prevent him from getting anywhere near the net.
Another Ducks we should look at is Carlsson. Coming off a 45-point season, Carlsson has picked up right where he left off. He leads the Orange in points with six (2g, 4a). The former 2nd overall pick has spent the last couple of seasons dipping his feet in the water and he's now ready to complete submerge. Swedish forwards a pretty scary and we know that first hand with Filip Forsberg.
Speaking of the mustache man, he is a guy Nashville should watch. He was one of the more consistent players last year after the whole team took a dive in the standings. Now, he's only got himself a lone goal and two assists in six games. For a better understanding at how crazy this is, he's got the same stats as defenseman Nick Perbix who's got more goals than him.
The second Smashville player is Luke Evangelista. He has three assists in his first five games but not a single goal. He'll be looking to get on the scoreboard after his first was taken away the other night due to a weird call by the refs. He's up on the first line with Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly so realistically, tonight might be the night we see the first from pretty boy Vincenzo.
Storylines We "Might" See Tonight
Whether or not Brady Martin plays tonight or not, it's going to be a big day for him. He got to watch the process of an NHL roadtrip and he was able to still practice with the guys in the meantime. The Daily Faceoff has him playing on the third line so if we do see him, he'll most likely slot alongside Fedor Svechkov and Tyson Jost.
Juuse Saros has looked very solid so far. He had a bit of a rough game against the Jets but in hindsight, it's always going to be a rough game against them. One thing I've noticed is that he isn't getting out of the net as much as he was last season. Thanks to this change, he's been able to stop more pucks that are in close proximity to the crease. The defense has also given Saros more sight of the puck so he can actually react in a timely manner rather than last second.
Radko Gudas for Anaheim is one point away from the 200-point plateau so don't be surprised if he tries to play some offense against us. Frank Vatrano has been quiet so far as he doesn't even have a single point. Pressure from management and fans might push him to play at 110% until he gets that first point.
With both teams desperate for a statement win, expect a gritty, high-paced game at Bridgestone. For Nashville, it’s not just about points, it’s about setting the tone for the fans.