The Nashville Predators showed on Saturday night in St. Louis that they were ready for any competition this season. The Predators were able to take down the hottest team in the NHL with a 2-1 win on the road. Ending their 6 game road trip with a possible 8 out of 12 points, the Preds look to continue their momentum against the Edmonton Oilers tonight.
Last time out, the Oilers beat the New York Rangers 3-1 bringing their record to 6-8-1. Currently, the Oilers are tied for last place in the Pacific Division. With goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (5), Benoit Pouliot (2), and an empty net goal from Teddy Purcell (2), the Oilers look to make it 3 straight when they face the Predators. The Oilers currently have 3 players with 10 points on the season: Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Hall is currently leading the team in goals (6), but is currently on the Injured Reserve list for an MCL sprain. Hall is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.
The Preds and Oilers have already faced off one time this season. During their first game on October 29th, Nashville outshot the Oilers 35-27 and won 4-1 with the game-winning goal by Taylor Beck. Taylor Hall scored the lone goal for the Oilers. Pekka Rinne was stellar in net. After tonight’s matchup, these two teams will faceoff one more time this season (November 27th).
Keys to watch
The Big Mo’
The Nashville Predators went through an early season extended road trip and came out on top. With a 4-2-0 record on the trip, the Preds got their first big test of the season with their matchup against St. Louis. The Preds were able to come out on top once again are sitting atop the Central Division with 20 points amassed on the season. Look for Nashville to take this momentum and build a significant lead with the boosted confidence from this big win. Even though the Oilers are last in the division, they have many skilled players that can produce for their front two lines.
First Line Success
Early on, Coach Laviolette made a significant change with the first line. Filip Forsberg was showing an ability to get line mates involved and he was placed on the first line. The 18-63-9 line has been clicking ever since. Combined, this line has put up 37 points and continues to impress the Predator faithful. Look for continual success from this line as this grouping has been a constant producing line for the Preds.
Home.
After a grueling road trip, in which the Preds have not been back to Bridgestone Arena since October 25th, the Preds are finally back home. With wins over the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and St. Louis Blues, the fans will be glad to see their Central Division leading Preds back on the ice. This will only be one game at home and then they will be headed back to St. Louis on Thursday night.
Bridgestone Arena will be rocking tonight when the Preds hit the ice at 7:00 pm. As usual, the Preds game can be listened to on 102.5 The Game or via the Smashville App. ***Special Note: The game will NOT be televised tonight. If you want to watch the game, you will have to get out to the arena!
