The Nashville Predators bring a six-game winning streak into Las Vegas on Friday night, and they’ve done it by rolling through the Kings and Ducks in Southern California. Now they get a tougher test against the Golden Knights, who have also found their footing with points in five straight games and four consecutive wins.
Nashville enters at 10-4-5, while Vegas sits at 13-5-2. The Golden Knights are listed as -156 on the moneyline, with the Predators coming back at +130. The total is set at 6.5, with the over at +112 and the under at -138.
A big reason the Predators have surged is the impact of Shane Wright, the former top prospect they acquired. Since arriving in Music City, Wright has produced a goal and two assists and has been skating alongside Filip Forsberg and Nils Hoglander. The move has paid off for Nashville after the team traded Zachary L’Heureux and made the Ross Colton deal, moves the source material says were initially viewed skeptically.
In goal, Nashville should have Juuse Saros back after Justus Annunen started on Wednesday. Saros has been one of the best goalies in the league this season, posting a .918 save percentage and 9.8 GSAx, which ranks fourth.
Vegas, meanwhile, snapped through a rough stretch by beating the Mammoth 5-3 on Wednesday. That win came after the Golden Knights had dropped five of their previous six, so the current run has been a needed reset for a team that has been uneven overall.
Ivan Barbashev nearly finished off a hat trick in that game, coming just a couple of inches short, and Victor Olofsson has picked up right where he left off after missing a month.
Given the way both teams have been playing, the under stands out. The source notes that FanDuel has the under at -138, while the current model has it favored at -225. Saros has allowed only two total goals over his last three games, and the matchup sets up with both sides leaning on strong recent defensive form.
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The Predators have found their footing at the right time, and the timing has created a good problem for Andrew Brunette. Nashvilles six-game winning streak has come while Jonathan Marchessault has been out with an injury and Nicolas Hague has been sitting as a healthy scratch, leaving the coach with a lineup that has settled in and started to win without two veterans who were expected to be part of the mix.
Marchessaults season has been limited by modest production, while Hague had been struggling before he was scratched, which makes the next move even trickier. Brunette has to decide how to bring them back into the picture without disrupting the chemistry and pace the Predators have built during this run, and those choices could be just as important as the wins themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Hot Start Just Complicated Nashvilles Long-Term Forward Plans
The Predators fast start has given new management plenty to like, but it has also sharpened the questions hanging over the forward group. Under GM Chris MacFarland, Nashville has already remade much of its roster, and the early returns have been encouraging with six straight wins and a spot near the top of the division. The emphasis has been on tightening things up defensively, while the front office takes stock of how the newcomers fit into the bigger picture.
Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan OReilly and Steven Stamkos are all part of that longer conversation, even if nothing appears close to happening right away. Nashville is still in the evaluation phase, weighing the value of established veterans against the direction of the roster and the way the team has opened the season. For now, the Predators can enjoy the results on the ice, but the way this forward group looks a few months from now remains very much an open question. [Read more 🡒]