The Nashville Predators showed on Tuesday night that they have the “clutch-gene” as they came back from a 3-2 deficit to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 4-3.
The Preds were able to get goals from Seth Jones-SHG, Shea Weber-PPG, Mike Fisher, and Colin Wilson to give Nashville the victory over the struggling Maple Leafs.
Tonight, Nashville welcomes one of the best teams in the NHL, as the Anaheim Ducks enter the raucous, Bridgestone Arena.
The Anaheim Ducks (33-12-6) last played against the Carolina Hurricanes in a knock-down, drag-out type of a game. Anaheim was down 4-2 going into the 3rd period, and with goals by Devante Smith-Pelly (5) at 09:31 and Corey Perry (21) at 15:52, the game was sent to OT.
In the OT period, the Ducks didn’t waste any time as Ryan Getzlaf (16) scored, just 45 seconds into the extra period.
On the season, Ryan Getzlaf leads the team with 52 total points. He has dominated the team in points with 16 goals and 36 assists. The closest to Getzlaf in points is Corey Perry. Perry has amassed a total of 21 goals and 14 assists for a total of 35 points.
Keys to Watch
The Big Man is BACK!!
January 13th was a frightening day for the Nashville faithful. All-World goaltender, Pekka Rinne, went down during the 3rd period against the Vancouver Canucks. Since then, Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec have fared admirably in net, but it’s good to hear that Rinne will be in net tonight against the Ducks. His presence will give a lift to the team, and with a great offensive team (Anaheim) coming into the arena, it will be good to have him there. It will be deafening when his name is announced tonight.
The Best in the West
For the 2nd time this season, these two teams will face off as two of the best in the NHL. Nashville and Anaheim are currently 1st and 2nd in the NHL, respectively. Both teams have 72 points, but Nashville is ranked 1st because Anaheim has played one more game than Nashville. Tonight will be a pivotal match-up to see who will remain on top of the NHL.
Stop Getzlaf!
If Nashville wants to win tonight, tabs will have to be kept on Anaheim’s Captain, Ryan Getzlaf. With 52 points on the season, he is a game changer. He can put up points, and his passing ability is amazing. Getzlaf is a big man that uses his size to his advantage. If the Predators want to remain atop the NHL, watch out for the Anaheim Captain.
Tonight’s “Best of the Best” match-up will be a sight to see as Nashville welcomes the Ducks into Bridgestone Arena. The Preds will be looking to exact a little revenge from their 4-3 OT loss in Anaheim on January 4th. The puck drops at 7:00pm CST. If you can’t make it out to Bridgestone Arena, be sure to watch live on Fox Sports Tennessee or you can listen live to all of the team’s coverage on 102.5 The Game.
