It’s Game Night in Smashville as the Nashville Predators start a three-game pre-Thanksgiving homestand by taking on the Colorado Avalanche in the second of three consecutive Central Division matchups for the Preds. The weather is supposed to turn tonight from the springlike temps we have seen to real late fall temps, bringing the requisite storms with it, but I am pretty sure the only snow we will see tonight will be inside Bridgestone Arena.
It will be Smashville’s first look at Samuel Girard since the trade that brought Kyle Turris to Nashville. We would’ve seen Vladislav Kaminav as well, but the youngster broke his arm in his Av’s debut Thursday night, a surprising 6-2 win over Washington
Nashville is trying to wash the nasty taste out of its mouth from Thursday’s 6-4 loss in Minnesota, snapping the team’s five-game win streak, blowing three and two goal leads in the process. Colorado will be looking to build off the win over the Caps and break a seven-game losing streak to the Predators that stretches back to the 2015-16 season.
No one of note on the Av’s Injured Reserve report, I expect Kamanev to be added to that list at some point today. For the Predators, it’s Ryan Ellis, Scott Hartnell and Yannick Weber… all expected to return around the Christmas holidays.
Smashville will be looking to see what choice the Avalanche makes when it comes down to line matchups. Minnesota chose to shut down the Turris line and JoFA ran Wild (every pun intended) Thursday night, Washington chose to shut down JoFA and the Turris line Capitalized (now stop that!) on it. Colorado is in the NHL Top Ten in shooting percentage, not quite at Vegas levels, but still above the mean. Nashville will have to be solid defensively.
The start is everything tonight as the Preds always fire off the Smashville crowd and jumping on Av’s netminder Semyon Varlamov is always key… letting Varlamov settle in is a recipe for disaster. Pekka Rinne will certainly want to get back on track after a sub=-par performance Thursday.
Game time is 7pm at Bridgestone Arena, it’s the second of three Hockey Fights Cancer Nights this season as we continue our efforts to raise money for cancer research. Game coverage on 102.5 the Game begins at 6pm with pregame… Fox Sports Tennessee pregame begins 30 minutes later.
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Random Notes
- We may see another former Pred on the ice tonight as Gabriel Bourque is on the Av’s roster. He was a healthy scratch on Thursday.
- Ryan Johansen has really stepped up his game. He has four points in his last three games and has won 63.5% of his draws. His next point is his 300th NHL career point.
- Mattias Ekholm is on a two-game scoring streak, the third of his NHL career
- Tonight is the first of a back-to-back for Colorado.
- KHL Watch – Eeli Tolvanen’s Jokerit club lost to HC Sochi yesterday 3-2. Tolvanen was held off the score sheet and only managed a single shot. The Predators prospect has 16 goals and 13 assists for 29 points in 29 games.
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SlapShot Radio’s tenth anniversary season is on. As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day… the only local hockey show that does that.
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