Game Day: Golden Knights vs. Preds Preview

The Predators are thankful to be back in Nashville this week, and on Thanksgiving Eve, they'll look to start a new win streak as they welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to Bridgestone Arena. This is the first of three meetings between the two Western Conference foes this season; the Preds will head to Vegas twice in 2022.
After returning home from a road trip that delivered a pair of losses, the Predators collected two more points in the standings on Monday night in a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. The Preds were pleased with much of what they saw in that effort, and now, they'll face a Vegas team with wins in five of their last seven outings in another tough task against one of the best in the West.

"I really liked it," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of his team's overall effort on Monday night. "I thought we were ready to play… We got to our game in the second period and got better, and I thought it was a hard-fought battle. Anaheim's a good team, I thought we stuck with it, but we got better as the game had gone on. Special teams were a major factor - both of them were really good - and I liked our compete, I liked our toughness and it's a good win; a good win against a really good team, good start to the homestand."
"I don't think it was a perfect game by any means, but as we all know, it's really hard to win in this League," Preds forward Ryan Johansen said following Monday's win. "We've done a lot of traveling lately and had some juice from our fans being back here tonight, and we found a way to win a hockey game."
The Predators did not practice on Tuesday, but they did make one move as forward Mathieu Olivier was reassigned to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals. Additionally, Preds forward Filip Forsberg remains on Injured Reserve, but the winger did skate with the team on Monday, and Hynes said Forsberg could "possibly" return to the lineup sometime this week.
Morning Update:
The Preds have reassigned
forward Michael McCarron to Milwaukee (AHL). Additionally, defenseman Ben Harpur has been assigned to the Admirals on a conditioning loan.
Forsberg once again joined his teammates for Wednesday's morning skate, but his status for tonight's game has not been confirmed.
5 p.m. CT Update: Forsberg has been activated from Injured Reserve.

The Good Guys:

Johansen, Mikael Granlund and Yakov Trenin all tallied for the Preds in their 3-2 win on Monday, and Juuse Saros made 29 saves to earn the victory in net. Johansen and Trenin both recorded an assist as well in the effort while Trenin posted the first game-winning goal of his career.
Matt Duchene was scoreless on Monday - a rarity these days - but he remains tied for the team lead in scoring with 12 goals and 19 points. Granlund (4g-15a) also has 19 points, Captain Roman Josi (6g-11a) has 17 points and Johansen (6g-7a) has 13 points. Nashville's power play remains red hot as well - entering Tuesday's action they sat third in the NHL with a 28.6 percent conversion rate with the man advantage. Saros is now 8-6-1 on the season with a .920 save percentage; David Rittich won his only start of the campaign and carries a .933 save percentage.

The Opposition:

Vegas dropped a 5-2 decision in St. Louis on Monday night to cool off their hot November just a bit. Chandler Stephenson (6g-11a) leads the team in scoring with 17 points, followed by Reilly Smith (8g-6a) with 14 points and Jonathan Marchesseault (9g-4a) with 13 points. Goaltender Robin Lehner has gone 8-7-0 in net for Vegas with a .913 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 4-3-2 all-time against the Golden Knights, including a 2-1-2 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville and Vegas last met on Feb. 1, 2020 at Bridgestone Arena, a 3-0 defeat for the home team.
Nashville has won four of its last seven games against Vegas, allowing one goal or fewer in three of those victories. The Preds have earned at least a point in four of their five home games against Vegas in franchise history, going 2-1-2. Outside of a 1-0 shutout (Juuse Saros) over Vegas on Jan. 16, 2018, Nashville has scored at least three goals in three of their five games vs. the Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus Vegas:

Juuse Saros is 3-1-1 with a 2.19 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and one shutout vs. Vegas in his career. Saros made a then career-high 47 saves in Nashville's 2-1 victory at Vegas on Jan. 23, 2019. He also recorded a 43-save shutout against Vegas on Jan. 16, 2018, becoming the first Preds goaltender to record multiple 40-plus save shutouts in the same season.
Roman Josi (5a) and Matt Duchene (4g-1a) both have five career points against Vegas, the most among all current Nashville skaters. Josi has two career multi-point outings vs. Vegas, the most recent coming on Nov. 17, 2019 (2a).
Mikael Granlund owns four points (2g-2a) in eight career meetings with the Golden Knights. Nick Cousins skated in seven regular-season and 17 postseason games with Vegas in 2019-20, helping the Golden Knights reach the Western Conference Final.

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.