Game Day: Rangers vs. Preds Preview

The Nashville Predators collected their first win of the season two nights ago, and they'll look for another to split their four-game homestand as they host the New York Rangers tonight at Bridgestone Arena.
Tonight's contest marks the first of two meetings between the two clubs this season, and after dropping their first two outings of the campaign, the Preds were rewarded for their efforts in a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Opening the season with four-straight home outings presented an ideal opportunity for the Predators to begin with a few wins in the column, and although a .500 record in the stretch is now the best they can do, it's certainly better than the alternative.

"If we hadn't won tonight, you go down 0-3, and you probably deserve to be 2-1 - it's tough," Preds forward Matt Duchene said following Tuesday's win. "Obviously, we have a resilient group and we keep coming back and keep working. But, to get that first win, now we can just keep building. I think we've gotten better every game in a lot of areas, but there's still something to get better with, and we're going to keep working. But I think it's a good start of the season."

Predators forward Tommy Novak made his NHL debut on Tuesday after replacing forward Cody Glass who was sent to Milwaukee, and the newcomer didn't disappoint in his first contest.
"I liked Tommy," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of Novak's effort. "Tommy came in, and he did a good job, he made a couple plays, he had a couple looks on the powerplay, so it was a good first National Hockey League game. He's a guy that's kind of got ice in his veins, so you don't really know if he's nervous or not, but I think coming in for the first step, he did a good job."
Whether Novak gets another opportunity tonight remains to be seen, but he's the second member of the Preds to make his NHL debut through the season's first three games; fellow forward Philip Tomasino did the same on Opening Night, but the rookie has been scratched in Nashville's past two outings.

The Good Guys:

Duchene and Tanner Jeannot scored within the first five minutes of the third period on Tuesday night to help the Preds to their win over the Kings, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves to earn his first victory of the season, too.
Mikael Granlund (1g-3a) leads the Preds with four points through the first three games, while Filip Forsberg (1g-2a) is averaging a point-per-game. Roman Josi (1g-1a) and Ryan Johansen (1g-1a) have identical stat lines, and Eeli Tolvanen has also tallied once thus far on the season.

The Opposition:

The Rangers are 2-1-1 on the young season, including a 2-1 overtime win in Toronto on Monday night. Artemi Panarin played the role of hero in that triumph, and he's tied for second on the team in points with three. Mika Zibanejad (1g-4a) has five points in four games, while Chris Kreider (3g) and Adam Fox (1g-2a) have three points apiece. Goaltender Igor Shesterkin has started three of New York's four games and is 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 13-14-(1)-2 all-time against the Rangers, including a 5-7-(0)-2 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville and the New York Rangers last met on Dec. 16, 2019 at Madison Square Garden, a 5-2 victory for the Predators that saw Juuse Saros stop 39 of 41 shots faced.
The Predators last hosted the Rangers at Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 2, 2019, a 2-1 defeat. Nashville is 3-2-0 in its last five games against the Rangers; at home, the Preds are 2-2-1.

Notables Versus New York:

Roman Josi has 12 points (4g-8a) in 15 career games vs. the Rangers, including three multi-point efforts. He notched three points (2g-1a) in Nashville's last meeting with New York on Dec. 16, 2019. Mattias Ekholm has posted five points (2g-3a) in his last six games against the Rangers.
Mikael Granlund has averaged more than a point per game vs. the Rangers in his career, recording 13 points (4g-9a) in 12 games, including five (3g-2a) in his last three games. Granlund matched his career high for points in a game with four (2g-2a) against New York on Feb. 23, 2018.
Colton Sissons has four points (2g-2a) in his last four games vs. the Rangers.
Rangers defenseman Jarred Tinordi skated in 35 games for the Predators from 2019-21. He scored his first career NHL goal as a member of the Predators on Jan. 29, 2020 at Washington.

When You Go:

The plaza perimeter opens at 4 p.m. CT this afternoon, and Arena doors open at 5 p.m. ahead of a 7 p.m. puck drop.
All guests aged 12 and older attending tonight's game will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test administered by a healthcare professional within 72 hours prior to the event that includes their name and the date of the test.
Fans attending the game are encouraged to use the CLEAR Health Pass
to provide easy proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and offer safer and faster fan entry into events held at the venue.
The CLEAR Health Pass - Bridgestone Arena's preferred vaccine verification method - is a free mobile app that securely houses COVID-19 vaccination and test information. Predators fans and all Bridgestone Arena attendees ages 18 and older are encouraged to utilize the CLEAR Health Pass app to make entry into the venue as smooth as possible. All Bridgestone Arena entrances, including the two main ones at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway and Demonbreun Street, will accept the CLEAR Health Pass for venue access.
Anyone unable to use the CLEAR Health Pass
must follow all Bridgestone Arena entry 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. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
.