GAME DAY: Blue Jackets vs. Preds, October 26

After a comeback win over the Blackhawks last night in Chicago, the Nashville Predators (2-5-0) will be right back on the ice tonight when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0) for Pride Music Heritage Night hosted at Bridgestone Arena with a puck drop at 7 p.m. CT.

The Preds have now won two games in a row after losing their first five games to start the season, and while last night's performance in Chicago wasn't perfect, there are still positives to build on heading into today's game can.

“I don’t think the attitude has really changed,” Preds striker Filip Forsberg said after Friday’s win. “If you go on a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season, it certainly doesn’t look as bad as 0-5, right? But I think we're doing a lot more of the right things. I thought (Tuesday's win) was Boston's best game. It was a bit of a step backwards, but at the right moment (I thought we) played well enough to win and definitely picked up some new things.”

Nashville's lineup remained unchanged over the last two games, including rookie forward Zach L'Heureux's first two career appearances. The Predators did not hold a morning before tonight's game.

Last time out:

Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Brady Skjei played for Nashville in Friday's 3-2 win, while Juuse Saros made 33 saves in net. Nyquist, whose shorthanded marker was his 200th NHL goal, also contributed an assist, and Skjei's game-winning goal came on the power play in the third period.

The good ones:

Forsberg leads the Preds with three goals and seven points this season, followed by Ryan O'Reilly (2g-4a) with six points. Luke Evangelista (1g-4a) and Roman Josi (5a) each have five points, while Tommy Novak scored three times. Saros is 2-4-0 in net for Nashville; Scott Wedgewood lost his only appearance so far.

The opposition:

Columbus last played on Tuesday night when they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. Kirill Marchenko (3g-5a) leads the Blue Jackets with eight points this season, followed by Sean Monahan and Yegor Chinakhov with three goals and four assists each. Defenseman Zach Werenski has two goals and six points this season, while former Preds forward Mathieu Olivier has three goals in six games. Goaltender Daniil Tarasov is 3-1-0 in net for Columbus; Elvis Merzlikins is 0-2-0.

All-time meeting:

Nashville has a 69-23-(1)-8 all-time record against Columbus, including a 42-6-(1)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators have a .728 points percentage against the Blue Jackets, the highest point total Nashville has recorded against a single team in the NHL.

The Predators are 11-3-1 in their last 15 games against the Blue Jackets; They are 8-0-0 in their last eight games at Bridgestone Arena, outscoring Columbus 30-13 in those games.

In Nashville's 52 home games against Columbus, they have only lost six times in regulation time, with two of those losses coming in the first three meetings between the two teams. Nashville's 42 wins over Columbus at Bridgestone Arena are the most against a single NHL opponent on home ice.

Personalities against Columbus:

Roman Josi scored four points (2g-2a) in the last meeting between the two teams, which is the second-highest point total he has scored in a single game in his career. It was his eighth four-point game of his NHL career. Josi has recorded 22 points (6g-16a) in 34 contests against the Blue Jackets, including two multi-point attempts during the 2020-21 season.

Steven Stamkos has 40 points (20g-20a) in 33 career games against Columbus, including two four-point games (April 9, 2024: 3g-1a, April 26, 2022: 2g-2a).

Brady Skjei has 18 points (8g-10a) in 34 career games against the Blue Jackets, the most points scored by Skjei against a single franchise.

Filip Forsberg has two career hat tricks against Columbus, including his first career four-goal game on November 30, 2021. He has 22 points (13g-9a) in 26 meetings with the Blue Jackets, including points in 10 of his last 16 games against Columbus.

Assistant coach Todd Richards was Columbus' head coach for five seasons from 2012-15.

Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (2019-22) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (2020-21) both spent time with Nashville.

Milestone clock:

Gustav Nyquist scored his 200th career goal last night in Chicago

Andrew Brunette won his 100th game as an NHL head coach last night in Chicago.

Luke Schenn has one of 200 points in his NHL career.

Tommy Novak has one point out of 100 in his NHL career.

Jeremy Lauzon is five games out of 300 in his NHL career.

See and hear:

Coverage of today's game begins at 6:30 pm CT with the Predators LIVE! Pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and on-field reporter Kara Hammer will conduct the conversation from television. Preds fans can continue to find FanDuel Sports Network on the same channel locations and app as Bally Sports South.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pre-game, post-game and halftime coverage from Max Herz beginning an hour before the puck drops. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe, which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (The show was also broadcast in Spanish by El Jefe on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.)