The Nashville Predators come in to tonight’s game in Columbus with a revitalized power play and a chance to move back up in the Central Division standings. Blue Jacket games used to have a healthy amount of hate in them, after all, familiarity sometimes breeds contempt, but since Columbus went scurrying away to the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to gin up the passion that used to exist. Columbus does come in on the heels of a roll, going 8-0-1 in their last nine and slowly climbing their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

The Blue Jackets have been devastated by injuries, they have already lost over 200 man-games to injury and we are only 30-ish games into the season. Their goaltending has been just ok, but Sergei Bobrovski seems to be getting more consistent and rounding into the performer Columbus has been counting on.

Nashville, on the other hand has been consistently good all season, getting great goaltending from Pekka Rinne, excellent defense and one on the leagues bets five on five. The Predators have posted 21 wins so far… put it in context, it took last year’s team until mid-January to get to 21 wins. Filip Forsberg continues to state his case for the Calder, still on his point per game pace with 13 goals and 18 assists, leading all rookies and the Predators in scoring. Forsberg is only six points away from the franchise record for rookie scoring.

Nashville comes int0o tonight losing ground in the Central Division race, but it is not because of poor play… the schedule has been favorable to the Predators from a “rest” perspective so St. Louis has two games in hand and Chicago has three. The Preds trail the Blues by one point and trail the Blackhawks by four. This is the first game of a road back-to-back, the Preds travel to Boston post game for their last game before the Christmas shutdown.

I do expect to see Carter Hutton in one of these back-to-back games. If you play Rinne tonight then rest him tomorrow, it would give Pekka an extra day over the holiday. If you play Hutton tonight, it keeps Rinne on a regular schedule that he is used to.

Game time is 6pm, coverage on Fox Sports Tennessee, 102.5 the Game and the Predators Radio Network.

Here’s the preview, from NHL.com


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Random Notes

- Saturday night was Olli Jokinen’s 1200 NHL game.

- Mike Fisher has returned with a vengeance. Four points in his last four games and since returning 10 games ago he has filled the gap in the face-off circle created by the injury of Paul Gaustad. Fisher has a 54% win rate since his return.

- James Neal is expected to be back in the lineup tonight after missing Saturday with what is described as an “illness.” Gotta love the detail of NHL injury reports.

- After the three day Christmas break, the Predators come back with a home game against Philly on Saturday, then a back-to-back in the Central with Chicago and St. Louis to close out 2014.

- The WJC drops the puck on Friday and the hype for Team Canada is building.

- Keep an eye on Team Finland in this upcoming tournament, especially Predators prospect Juuse Saros. He was spectacular in net at the 2014 tourney on the Finns run to gold.

- Nice story in Philly as journeyman goaltender Rob Zepp got his first NHL start and his first NHL win, at the age of 33, becoming the oldest player to do that since the 1920’s.

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