Predators Face Golden Knights in Tension-Filled Matchup Tonight

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Nashville Predators will host the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 10 p.m. ET for a critical matchup ahead of the playoffs. Both teams are coming off recent victories and are expected to roll out competitive lineups as they vie for postseason positioning.

The Predators aim to build on their 4-3 shootout win at the Utah Hockey Club last Thursday. Their projected lineup includes Michael Bunting alongside Ryan O’Reilly and Luke Evangelista on the top line. Filip Forsberg will partner with Steven Stamkos and Zachary L’Heureux in the second line. Coach John Hynes confirmed that the team will stick with the same 18 skaters they utilized in their last game.

The full lineup for Nashville features: Bunting, O’Reilly, Evangelista; Forsberg, Stamkos, L’Heureux; Jakub Vrana, Fedor Svechkov, Jonathan Marchessault; Cole Smith, Michael McCarron, Matthew Wood; along with Brady Skjei, Nick Blankenburg, Marc Del Gaizo, Justin Barron, Andreas Englund, and Jordan Oesterle on defense. Juuse Saros is slated to start in goal.

Nashville has some injuries to note, with Adam Wilsby (upper body), Jeremy Lauzon (lower body), Roman Josi (upper body), and Colton Sissons (lower body) unable to play tonight.

The Golden Knights, coming off a 2-1 victory against the Seattle Kraken, are not expected to make any changes to their lineup. Coach Bruce Cassidy has made it clear that consistency is key for his squad at this stage of the season.

Vegas’s lineup includes Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, and Mark Stone leading the attack, joined by Brandon Saad, Tomas Hertl, and Pavel Dorofeyev in the second line. They will also feature Reilly Smith, William Karlsson, and Alexander Holtz as the third line, while the fourth line is composed of Tanner Pearson, Nicolas Roy, and Keegan Kolesar.

The Golden Knights’ defensive pairings will consist of Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore; Noah Hanifin alongside Zach Whitecloud; and Nicolas Hague with Ben Hutton, with Adin Hill set to guard the net. However, the team will miss key players Jack Eichel (upper body), Nicolas Hague (illness), Victor Olofsson (illness), and Alex Pietrangelo (illness), as all are sidelined for this matchup.

With the stakes high and both teams looking to gain momentum, fans can expect an intense game at Bridgestone Arena. The match promises to be pivotal as the playoff race continues.