The Nashville Predators will finish their three-game home-stand against their Pacific Division foe, Calgary Flames, on Tuesday night. The Predators have been strong at home in their first two games with wins over Ottawa and Dallas. The Flames (1-2-0 2 pts.) come into Nashville after a 4-1 loss against the St. Louis Blues.
Tuesday night’s face-off will be the first of three games between these two teams. The teams will meet again on October 31st in Calgary. Last year, the Predators won the season series against the Flames 2-1.
It has been five seasons since the Calgary Flames have made the NHL playoffs. The Flames had a busy offseason adding RW Devin Setoguchi, G Jonas Hiller, D Deryk Engelland, and LW/RW Mason Raymond. The Flames are trying to make a push to reach the playoffs once again.
Keys to watch:
Strong Third Period Play
During the first two games, the Predators have either been tied or losing going into the third period. This team has had the resiliency to fight back. The Predators have scored six of their seven goals this season during the third period of play. Look for the Predators to continue their strong play in the third period.
Captain Weber
Shea Weber has been on top of his game through the first two wins of this season. Weber already has 2 goals, 1 assist, +5 rating, and 8 shots on goal. The Nashville Predators’ captain has been leading by example. When the Preds need a big play, he has been there lifting his team to victory.
Calgary Goaltending
One key to the Calgary Flames (1-2-0) record this year has been the struggle of their goaltending. The Flames have already given up 10 goals this year while scoring 8 on the season. Former Anaheim Ducks goaltender, Jonas Hiller has struggled with his new team posting a .901 Save %, 64 sv/71 sa, and 118:39 time on ice.
The Predators will be away from Nashville until October 21st. There will not be a TV broadcast for this game. Fans will have to get to Bridgestone Arena to see the Predators finalize this home-stand. Puck drops at 7:00pm!
