The Good Guys:
Erik Haula, Filip Forsberg, Brady Skjei, Zach L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov all tallied for Nashville on Tuesday night, but it was Justus Annunen who stole the show with a 43-save shutout. Per NHL PR, he became the third goalie in Predators history with as many saves in a shutout victory, joining Juuse Saros (46 on Dec. 14, 2017 and 43 on Jan. 16, 2018) and Dan Ellis (43 on March 28, 2008).
Forsberg now has 38 goals and leads the Preds with 73 points, followed by Ryan O’Reilly with 72 points (25g-47a). Steven Stamkos is one goal away from 40 and has 61 points, while Luke Evangelista has 41 assists and 51 points. Annunen is now 9-11-2 in net; Saros is 28-20-8 on the season.
The Opposition:
The Mammoth have won four straight and have scored at least six goals in each of those wins, including a 6-5 overtime victory against Edmonton on Tuesday. Clayton Keller has 54 assists and 80 points to lead Utah, followed by Nick Schmaltz with 30 goals and 70 points, and then Dylan Guenther with 38 goals and 69 points. Former Preds goaltending prospect Karel Vejmelka is 36-19-3 in net; Vitek Vanecek is 5-11-3.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 3-2-1 all-time against Utah and 2-0-0 in Salt Lake City since the franchise’s inception last season.
Nashville Notables:
Per NHL PR, Tuesday’s shutout win in Anaheim was Nashville’s first since Jan. 3, 2025, when they blanked the Canucks (3-0 win). The last time Nashville scored five or more goals in a shutout victory was March 5, 2022 (8-0 win at San Jose).
Filip Forsberg scored on the power play on Tuesday to extend his point streak to five games (5g-3a), and Joakim Kemell recorded his first career multi-point game (2a). Tuesday was the second time this season the penalty kill went 6-for-6 in a game, a season high (Dec. 4 at Florida).
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for tonight’s contest begins at 7:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.
