After going 6-1-1 before heading into the All-Star break, the Preds find themselves third in the Central Division. They will look to hold on to that spot (or even go higher) moving forward, beginning with a showdown with Pittsburgh later tonight. Nashville is 3-0 in its last three road games.
The Predators last saw action on Jan. 26, beating Columbus at home, 4-3. Pekka Rinne wasn’t in his top form that day, having allowed all three Blue Jackets goals on 33 shots faced but Nashville’s offense was there to save the day with Craig Smith finding the back of the net twice. The Predators have been scoring a lot recently, netting at least three goals in all of their past five games.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been down the past two games (seven goals allowed) so the Preds could be catching the Pens at just the right time.
Nashville has already taken advantage of the Penguins’ susceptible defense this season, beating Sidney Crosby and company 5-1 back in Oct. 22. Juuse Saros was Nasvhille’s goalie that time and he could be tonight’s netminder again.
Saros and Rinne have been solid in front of the net and whoever gets the starting gig tonight will be reinforced by Nashville’s stalwart blueline that has played a big part in why the team is among the best in the league in possession battle. Nashville is seventh overall with a 51.7 shot attempts percentage.
Maybe a short break was all the Penguins need to bring them back to their winning ways. Pittsburgh dropped its last two games prior to the All-Star festivities and will look to get back in the win column as the Pens go up against Nashville.
Pittsburgh lost to Boston 4-3 last Thursday with Murray churning out a mediocre performance, allowing all four Bruins goals on 33 shots. The Penguins’ blueline wasn’t able to provide Murray much support though, as the team failed to win the possession battle, taking just 22 shot attempts against Boston’s 37.
The Penguins remain a deadly team regardless of the outcome on their past two games. They are the no. 1 scoring team in the NHL, striking 3.5 goals per contest. Moreover, the Pens are fifth in power play percentage (22.8).
Evgeni Malkin could miss the game against Nashville with a lower-body injury that also hindered him from suiting up against Boston. The Penguins should still look fine offensively even without Geno. After all, Sidney Crosby is healthy plus Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, and Patric Hornqvist, are all their to provide firepower from the secondary lines. Crosby leads the team in points (55) and goals (28).
Kris Letang has played just two games this January due to a knee injury and has missed the Pens’ last six games. He’ll be a game-time decision though for tonight’s game. The defenseman has four goals and 19 assists this season.
