Hockey is a lot to keep up with and if you’re a busy Middle Tennessean but are still a fan of the hometown Predators, we have your weekly Nashville Predators update with everything you need to know right here.
Last Week
December 27th, 2-3 loss vs Dallas Stars
December 30th, 6-1 win @ Anaheim Ducks
December 31st, 5-4 overtime loss @ Vegas Golden Knights
Going 1-1-1 in a week where you have to play the Western Conference leading Dallas Stars then play a back-to-back on the other side of the country is certainly not the worst result, but games like the one against The Stars are the ones Nashville will have to fix to make the playoffs. Fighting back from behind twice, holding Dallas to 1 of 6 on the power play and Forsberg finding the back of the net in a game where your leaders are needed to step up are all huge but allowing a goal in the last 52 seconds when you have at least one point all but secured is crushing when every point matters.
To make this week positive in any way The Preds were going to need to take care of business against a Ducks team they had already beaten this season and did they ever. You couldn’t ask for a better start to a back-to-back on the road than a 6-1 win. Trenin and Forsberg both scored for their second game in a row, Nashville went 1 for 1 on the power play, and held Anaheim to 0 for 1.
The game against The Vegas Golden Knights was going to determine the overall success level of the week and The Preds were able to save at least one point in this game with a miraculous goal from Forsberg with 3 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as Nashville fell short in overtime due to a penalty. The Predators are tied for second in The NHL for most overtime games played, which is good that they are earning the one point, but with a 5-6 record in those games they aren’t winning the second point often enough. This week they will face The Carolina Hurricanes who are tied for first in the league in that same category.
Forsberg is on fire with goals in three straight games including a hat trick that put him into the 500-point club in Predators franchise history with David Legwand and Roman Josi, but this team will need to stop cycling through hot players one at a time and play their best hockey tother to climb into the wild card hunt as they are currently six points out of a wildcard spot.
The @PredsNHL 500-Point Club
🟨 Roman Josi
🟨 David Legwand
🟨 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗣 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗦𝗕𝗘𝗥𝗚 pic.twitter.com/gvroktRfyf— Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) January 1, 2023
Nashville now sits at 15-14-6 with 36 points. They are sitting at 23rd in the NHL, 11th in the Western Conference, and 6th in the Central Division.
This Week
January 3rd, at 7:00, Predators vs Montreal Canadiens (NHLPP|ESPN+|Bally)
January 5th, at 6:00 @ Carolina Hurricanes (NHLPP|ESPN+|Bally)
January 6th, at 6:00 @ Washington Capitals (NHLPP|ESPN+|Bally)
Another week with one home game to start before a road trip back-to-back, but this time Nashville will be on the road for five straight games. As we approach the halfway point of the season, The Predators will have to kick it into gear to make a playoff push. They still have some time to figure things out but after the All-Star Break they will need to swap out some questions for answers. These next few weeks will be important to the future of this season.
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