Nashville will faceoff against Carolina at 4 PM CDT, at Bridgestone Arena
By Anthony Pellegrino @Apelle50 IceInsider.com Predators Reporter/Insider
BOSTON--The Nashville Predators will drop the puck on their preseason game this afternoon for a Saturday in Smashville matchup. This marks the Predator's second to last preseason game, before dropping the puck on the regular season this Thursday against Dallas.
So far, Nashville is 2-2 in four preseason games and is currently riding a two-game winning streak. The beginning of preseason isn't always ideal for teams, as the talent level is not comparable to regular-season talent, especially when a team plays an NHL roster vs an AHL lineup.
Nashville's roster for tonight essentially features the opening night roster, minus Jonathan Marchessault, Jeremy Lauzon, and Alex Carrier. It will be Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei's first time(s) playing at Bridgestone Arena, in front of a Nashville crowd.
The next time Nashville plays at Bridgestone will be Thursday, in the home opener marking the beginning of the 2024-2025 regular season for the team.
What to watch for heading into the game:
Facing Freddie:
The Predators and Hurricanes faced off on Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, in a matchup that heavily favored the Predators. Carolina tested out much of an AHL-caliber roster against a seasoned Predators lineup, which could look similar tonight, minus the man in the crease.
In goal, the Predators faced goaltender Yaniv Perets, who spent almost the entirety of last season in the ECHL. It was evident throughout the night as Nashville found the back of the net on Perets, four times in the first period, three of which came in a five-minute span thanks to Juuso Parssinen, Nyquist, and Jeremy Lauzon.
Tonight's roster will test Nashville to a greater extent, as Frederik Andersen is slated to start in goal. Former Predator Rocco Grimaldi will be on the roster as well.
Down to 24:
The training camp roster which initially started at 62 players including 35 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 7 goaltenders, has been trimmed down to just 13 offensemen, 9 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders.
The most recent cut that came yesterday happened to be defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who was assigned to Milwaukee (AHL).
While Nashville still has decisions to be made, it's likely the offensive lineup is set for opening night.
Significance on the blue:
Tanner Molendyk, a 19-year-old defenseman out of Saskatoon SK, is a name no one would've thought to be on the roster the weekend before the regular season, but he's blown away GM Barry Trotz and HC Andrew Brunette thus far, and today's game can provide them some more clarity on the prospect.
If Nashville opts to keep him, it brings up a logjam at the blue line which would leave Brunette and Trotz with a decision to make on who to scratch, unless Nashville elects to keep Molendyk for the entire season.
There is still no sign of Spencer Stastney, the 24-year-old Woodridge IL native. He has spent parts of two seasons between Milwaukee and Nashville. Currently, he's away from the team due to personal reasons and hasn't skated for the entirety of training camp. The Predators declined to further comment on Stastney's situation.
A look in goal:
Longtime Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is expected to start between the pipes for Nashville. He's coming out of the offseason with an eight-year contract extension running through 2033. Saros was 23/23 in his lone preseason game thus far.
Backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood hasn't had the best showing at camp, although it isn't the biggest concern to Nashville as Saros is expected and has handled playing 65+ games throughout the season. Wedgewood has a .739 SV% this preseason.
So it begins (on Thursday):
The Predators drop the puck Thursday night to mark the beginning of the 2024-2025 season, for the team.
Expectations are high as Nashville's offseason additions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei round out the team to be a Stanley Cup contender.
With the job that Barry Trotz has completed over the past two summers, Nashville is expected to be a top-ten team, and we'll find out just how well they handle the job starting Thursday.
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