Game Day: Panthers vs. Preds Preview

The Predators will try for their second victory over the Panthers in as many nights, as Nashville hosts Florida once more this evening at Bridgestone Arena to conclude their season series. Tonight’s contest is the eighth and final meeting between the two temporary division rivals; Nashville could finish the series with a 4-4-0 record if they are able to win again in this outing.

The Preds got their final back-to-back set of the season started with a 4-1 triumph over Florida on Monday, thanks in large part to 39 saves from Juuse Saros. Tonight, the Predators will try for two more points, with Dallas right behind them in the standings for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division.

For Nashville, their recent success has been all about playing as a team in what Head Coach John Hynes says is the right way. That was the case for the majority of the night again on Monday, and the Predators will look to play to that style once more this evening.

[View: Digital Preds Press]

[Read More: Preds Projected Lineup vs. Florida]

[Dr Pepper Preds Arcade: The virtual, interactive arcade is open for today’s matchup. Enter your predictions for the game and win prizes with other mobile games]

“[We’re] competitive, fast, structured, no passengers, we check the right way when we don’t have possession of the puck; those are things that in the beginning of the year, we didn’t work and compete the way we are now,” Hynes said following Monday’s win. “We haven’t changed any systems, we haven’t changed any tactics. What’s changed is the commitment level that the players have put into what it takes to win, and that’s throughout the lineup.”

There were no changes to Nashville’s lineup on Monday night, and with no morning skate today on the second half of the back-to-back, confirmation will come during warm-ups as to if there will be any tweaks this evening. Forward Brad Richardson remains day-to-day, but all other injured Preds are still considered week-to-week.

Video: Saros, Haula propel Predators to a 4-1 victory

The Good Guys:

In addition to Saros’s efforts on Monday, Mikael Granlund, Nick Cousins, Erik Haula and Yakov Trenin all tallied in the 4-1 victory over the Panthers. With an assist on Granlund’s power-play goal, Preds Captain Roman Josi tied Shea Weber for most points by a defenseman and third place on the franchise’s all-time points list with 443 (115g-328a).

Josi leads the Preds in scoring with 30 points (6g-24a), followed by Viktor Arvidsson with 25 points (10g-15a) and then Granlund (13g-11a) and Calle Jarnkrok (12g-12a) with 24 points apiece. Granlund leads the club with 13 goals, Jarnkrok has 12 and Eeli Tolvanen has 11 on the season. Saros is 18-9-1 in net for Nashville; Pekka Rinne is 9-12-1.

Video: Cousins, Saros field questions on Preds’ 4-1 win

The Opposition:

Sam Bennett scored the lone goal for the Panthers in Monday’s loss, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky took over in net for Chris Driedger midway through the game after Driedger exited due to injury.

Jonathan Huberdeau leads Florida in scoring with 52 points (6g-36a), followed by Aleksander Barkov with 49 points (22g-27a) and Carter Verhaeghe with 35 points (17g-18a). Frank Vatrano has 17 goals for the Panthers, while former Pred Patric Hornqvist, who did not play on Monday, has 14. Bobrovsky is 17-8-2 in net for the Panthers; Driedger is 13-6-3.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 17-17-(3)-2 all-time against the Panthers, including a 9-7-(2)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are 3-4-0 in seven games versus the Panthers this season, picking up a 4-1 win on Monday and two on the road: March 18 (2-1) and April 4 (6-5 in OT). Nashville is 2-3-0 in its last five and 4-5-1 in its last 10 games against Florida. 

Video: Coach Hynes talks about the maturation of Saros

Notables Versus Florida:

Viktor Arvidsson has 10 points (6g-4a) in 15 games against the Panthers, including a three-assist performance on March 4. Ryan Johansen posted a three-game point streak versus Florida from Feb. 4 to March 6, recording a goal and two assists. He owns 11 points (3g-8a) in 23 career contests against the Panthers.

Roman Josi has five points (1g-4a) and a +5 rating in five games versus Florida this season. Matt Duchene has three points (2g-1a) in four games versus Florida this season.

When You Go:

Protective masks are required to be worn appropriately over the nose and mouth at all times inside venues, unless actively eating or drinking in designated locations. (Face coverings must be worn in all areas and can only be removed while actively eating or drinking. Face coverings must be worn while standing, waiting or sitting in dining locations. When food is in hand and actively being consumed, the face covering may be removed. Guests holding beverages are asked to wear a facial covering between each sip.)

Bridgestone Arena has a no bag policy*. Small, clear bags 9″ x 7″ x 2″ or smaller will be permitted following X-Ray screening. Guests attending events with approved bags may experience longer entry times, for expedited entry please leave bags at home.

*Medical bags and parenting bags will be permitted following X-Ray screening. Backpacks of any kind are not permitted.

Video: Arena implements heath and safety protocols

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening’s 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South** hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 6 p.m. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country, click here.

*All of Bally Sports South’s channel locations and programming remains the same, just with a new network.

Streaming Info:

Listen to a Live Radio Feed (only active during the game broadcast window).

Watch a Live Stream of the game on the Fox Sports Go App or Watch on NHL.TV

*As we transition to Bally Sports, one of our primary goals was to ensure that local fans and subscribers everywhere still get their teams whenever and wherever they want. The FOX Sports GO app will remain functional until the transition is complete. Once the Bally Sports app becomes widely available, the FOX Sports GO app will update to the all-new Bally Sports app. If a fan has updates enabled, the app will transition automatically; if not, they will need to manually update the app.