GAME DAY: Red Wings vs. Preds, October 19

The Nashville Predators will eat their eggs and drop the puck this afternoon when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena at 1:00 p.m. CT. Today's competition is the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season. The Preds fell 3-0 in Detroit last Saturday.

This win is the only win between the two teams this season. The Predators are 0-4-0 after losing 4-2 to Edmonton in Thursday's finale, while the Red Wings are 1-3-0 on the young season.

After a 7-3 loss to Seattle on Tuesday, there was more to like in Nashville's game against the Oilers on Thursday. Despite this, the Preds were unable to secure any points in the standings, but they know they simply have to dig their way out of this difficult start to the season.

“We’re not going to collapse and hit the panic button yet,” Preds forward Colton Sissons said after practice Friday. “We have too much talent here, too much character and people who have played too long (to panic). We understand that teams, even great teams, go through things like this. It hasn’t been easy, but we have to trust that (this adversity) will make us more resilient down the line.”

So what’s most important for Nashville today from the first puck drop?

“To live up to our identity,” Preds defenseman Brady Skjei said Friday. “We've talked a lot about playing faster and being more predictable, and I think just getting back to that style of hockey will make us feel better as a group. Obviously a win is very important, but just playing with the speed and tenacity that this team plays with is probably the way we want to move forward. (Today) is a good test for us and it’s good to get another game against Detroit, who beat us before.”

“Just get everyone involved in the game from the beginning,” Sissons said. “Keep things simple. Don't make it too difficult for us and just start with our forechecking game where we feel fast and look fast and make it difficult for the other teams and start to wear them down. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in a good position.”

Update: The Preds have recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from Milwaukee (AHL) prior to today's game.

Last time out:

Jonathan Marchessault scored his first goal as a member of the Preds when he converted on the power play Thursday night, and Filip Forsberg scored his second of the season in the loss. Goaltender Juuse Saros made 33 saves for Nashville on the night.

The good ones:

Forsberg (2g-2a) leads the Preds with four points, followed by Marchessault (1g-2a), Ryan O'Reilly (1g-2a) and Roman Josi (3a) with three points each. Tommy Novak scored twice in four games while Luke Evangelista had two assists. Saros is 0-3-0 with a save percentage of .878 this season.

The opposition:

After defeating the Preds last Saturday, the Red Wings have lost twice to the New York Rangers this week, going 9-3 in those two games. Lucas Raymond (4a) leads the Wings with four points, while JT Compher, Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat all have identical stats with a goal and two assists each. Cam Talbot is 1-1-0 in net for Detroit; Alex Lyon is 0-1-0 in two appearances.

All-time meeting:

Nashville has a 46-53-(4)-11 all-time record against Detroit, including a 27-24-(2)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games against the Red Wings, including six straight wins from February 23, 2021 through January. February 22, 2022, the longest winning streak ever against Detroit.

Nashville has a 6-2-0 record in its last eight home games against Detroit, outscoring the Red Wings 24-11 in those games.

On February 28, 2009, the Predators defeated the Red Wings 8-0 at Bridgestone Arena. It is the highest margin of victory in a game in franchise history.

Celebrities against Detroit:

Steven Stamkos scored the second-most goals of all active skaters in the NHL against the Red Wings with 23 (Alex Ovechkin – 24). He scored two goals in four different games against Detroit and had three points in three different games against the Red Wings.

Jonathan Marchessault scored a hat trick for Vegas against the Red Wings on March 9, 2024. His 11 career goals against Detroit are the second most he has ever scored against an NHL team.

Roman Josi has a team-high 28 points (3g-25a) in 39 career games against the Red Wings; Filip Forsberg has 22 points (10g-11a) in 23 career meetings with Detroit.

Juuse Saros is 8-3-1 with a 1.79 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 career starts against the Red Wings.

Milestone clock:

Luke Schenn played his 1,000th career NHL game on Thursday against Edmonton and is two points out of 200.

Gustav Nyquist scored two of 200 goals in his NHL career.

Tommy Novak has three points out of 100 in his NHL career.

See and hear:

Coverage of today's game begins at 12:30 pm CT with the Predators LIVE! Pregame show on Bally Sports 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.

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.)