Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Where to watch: BSSO, NBCSCA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Predators -205, Sharks +165
BetMGM: Predators -200, Sharks +170
Caesars: Predators -208, Sharks +175
Season record
Sharks: 29-33-9
Predators: 41-26-5
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Sharks - Predators preview and analysis
The Nashville Predators have a lot to figure out between now and the playoffs should they get there. One of them is how to defend better in front of their Vezina-caliber goalie, which should actually be the lone thing they should try and figure out.
The other is trying to figure out if they can get some more help in the scoring department, rather than have their likely soon-to-be two-time Norris Trophy winner have to do it all himself. And while the fighting Roman Josis are in for the long haul of such things, it’s not a sustainable model.
But it does help that the Predators will have a chance at a winnable game Tuesday when they host the San Jose Sharks and try to pad their lead in the Western Conference Wild Card race. Nashville, coming in losers of two straight and three of five, hold a one-point lead on the Dallas Stars and three-point lead on the Vegas Golden Knights for that top wild card spot.
Nashville is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday on the second leg of a back-to-back that saw them lose 4-1 to the Florida Panthers at home the night before. David Rittich made 27 saves, and Matt Duchene scored.
"I think there's a lot to like about our game tonight," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "I thought we played the game the right way. I thought for lots of stretches of the game where we were able to dictate the terms of the game. I thought it was a real good, collective effort from our team. I felt like we deserved better."
The Predators have certainly put the puck in the back of the net more often than what we’re used to. They’ve averaged 3.25 goals per game while giving up 2.89, but that line of thought has become inconsistent. They can go from scoring six against Minnesota, but struggle to score against the likes of Ottawa, Florida and Pittsburgh. The latter two, maybe not a myriad of an issue, but with Josi approaching 100 points, you certainly see where the discrepancy lies.
But again, it helps to iron out the wrinkles when you’re playing a team like the Sharks that are coming in losers of six straight and with no real desire to win any time soon. Tomas Hertl scored, and Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves in San Jose’s 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
"Guys are obviously a little bit down," coach Bob Boughner said. "No one likes losing and it's right there every night. It's tough to find your way over that hump."
The Sharks are entrenched in a rebuild right now and things don’t look as promising for them coming out the other side. With the news that general manager Doug Wilson was stepping away from the organization, the future aspects of the Sharks are in major doubt. They’re already in cap hell with no real way out any time soon, but at least Hertl is signed for the long term. If there was anything to look forward to, it might be that.
But they’ve got to shore up that defense and actually get some contributors to play well in front of the goal. That’s what it boils down to.
Prediction
It would be very weird for the Golden Knights to cheer for a division rival, and their most hated, but they’ll need to in order to possibly catch up to the Predators. However, that type of ask is too tall right now with how bad the Sharks are playing right now. I’d say give me Nashville in a runaway effort, especially being at home and the unknown of the goaltending for San Jose. Predators win 4-1
Betting trends
Sharks are 5-16 this season after division games this season.
Sharks are 33-61 the past three seasons after playing a road game.
Predators are 8-0 this season after three straight non-conference games.
Projected lines
Sharks:
Rudolfs Balcers -- Tomas Hertl -- Alexander Barabanov
Timo Meier -- Logan Couture -- Sasha Chmelevski
Matt Nieto -- Nick Bonino -- Noah Gregor
Jonathan Dahlen -- Scott Reedy
Jaycob Megna -- Brent Burns
Mario Ferraro -- Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Ryan Merkley
Radim Simek
Kaapo Kahkonen
Predators:
Filip Forsberg -- Ryan Johansen -- Philip Tomasino
Eeli Tolvanen -- Mikael Granlund -- Matt Duchene
Yakov Trenin -- Colton Sissons -- Tanner Jeannot
Nick Cousins -- Luke Kunin -- Matt Luff
Roman Josi -- Dante Fabbro
Mattias Ekholm -- Alexandre Carrier
Mark Borowiecki -- Jeremy Lauzon
Juuse Saros
Statistical leaders
Sharks:
Points: Timo Meier -- 70
Goals: Timo Meier -- 31
Assists: Timo Meier -- 39
Goalie: James Reimer -- 18-16-7, 2.77 GAA, .915 SV%
Predators:
Points: Roman Josi -- 87
Goals: Filip Forsberg -- 38
Assists: Roman Josi -- 68
Goalie: Juuse Saros -- 35-22-3, 2.55 GAA, .921 SV%
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