It is a rare Monday Night Game Night in Smashville as the Nashville Predators host the Winnipeg Jets in a critical Central Division showdown. The Preds and Jets are locked in a pitched battle for second in the Central and both desperate to put some space between them and the four-team pack chasing them.
The Jets seem to have solved their goaltender dilemma... at least for now as the play of Connor Hellebuyck has certainly made the Jets more comfortable between the pipes. Hellebuyck has posted an 11-1-2 record so far with a 2.27 GAA and a .931 save percentage. Unexpected to be sure as the Jets signed Steve Mason in the offseason to shore up the situation.
Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele are leading the Jets in scoring and this team finally looks to be playing the way they have been advertised over the past few seasons. Their power play has been really good and they play a solid, balanced game. In some respects, this game is a bit of a mirror match. Solid defense and explosive offense that likes to score in spurts.
Sound familiar?
The wild card in tonight’s game is the injury to Jets veteran defenseman Toby Enstrom who left the Jets Saturday night win with a lower body injury and observers report that Enstrom couldn’t put any weight on his right leg when leaving the ice after getting mixed up with Devils forward Jesper Bratt. Enstrom is the anchor of the Jets defense and will be replaced by rookie Tucker Poolman.
The Predators will be without a key defensive player as well, only at wing. Austin Watson was suspended for two games for his hit on Avalanche rookie Dominic Toninato. A suspension that Watson deserved and frankly, given the number of games being doled out by the DoPS, he might’ve been lucky to have only gotten two. So the question turns to, who do the Predators recall from Milwaukee?
The obvious choice is Pontus Aberg, who is down on a conditioning assignment and can be returned without waivers. Freddie Gaudreau could also be an option… we will find out who at day of game skate today.
Game time is 7pm, limited tickets remain for this divisional showdown. Game coverage begins with pregame at 6pm on 102.5 the Game, 6:30pm on Fox Sports Tennessee.
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Random Notes
- The Jets are as good on the road as they are at home… home record is 7-2-1, road record is 5-2-2.
- Tonight is game four of a 12 game stretch of games every other night for Nashville… most of ‘em at home, finshing the stretch with a back-to-back, home against Boston then at Dallas.
- Winnipeg comes in on a four-game win streak, Nashville has won six of its’ last seven.
- There’s a bit of a Swedish Scoring Streak going on right now for the Preds… Filip Forsberg has a four-game point streak going (1g, 4a) … Mattias Ekhom has a three-game point streak (3g, 2a) and Viktor Arvidsson has scored in back-to-back games (2g, 1a)
- KHL Watch – Eeli Tolvanen’s Jokerit club was idle yesterday. The Predators prospect has 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points in 29 games. Jokerit is back in action Wednesday night against Avangard.
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