Flames at Predators
The Nashville Predators found a way to post a pair of one-goal victories to start the season on the road, despite being outshot, and look to stay unbeaten when they open at home against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. The Predators swept the Rangers and Islanders during their trip to New York without any help from the power play and come home where they registered 60 points (28 wins) in 41 regular-season games in 2017-18.
“That’s how you want to start, right?” Nashville forward Craig Smith, who had a team-high 10 shots in the first two games, told reporters. “I think we did a lot of good things. It was a good test being on the road; we got together in different ways than we had the last couple of weeks.” The Predators lost both meetings with Calgary at home last season, including one in a shootout, and the Flames arrive after scoring seven times in their home opener. Calgary disappointed while going 0-for-7 on the power play in a 5-2 loss in its opener at Vancouver last Wednesday before going 3-for-6 with the man advantage in Saturday’s 7-4 victory against those same Canucks. “I thought there were lots of ebbs and flows,” Flames coach Bill Peters told reporters after recording his first win with the team. “Special teams were big (Saturday) and there were big moments in the game and we made enough plays to get away.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Sportsnet Flames, FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE FLAMES (1-1-0): Elias Lindholm, an offseason acquisition from Carolina where he played for Peters, had two goals and an assist in his home debut with Calgary - playing with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top line. “It’s good for those guys when you change teams to get a goal right away,” Peters told reporters of Lindholm. “He plays hard, he plays that way each and every night, gives guys lots of good looks.” Power forward Matthew Tkachuk leads the way with five points (one goal, four assists) and Gaudreau is next with four (one, three) while leading the team with eight shots.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (2-0-0): Nashville failed on one power play chance in each of the first two games and spread out the scoring with 10 players notching at least one point. The defense pairing of P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm have three points apiece while forward Colton Sissons has matched them through the first two games while right wing Viktor Arvidsson scored twice in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the Islanders. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne turned aside 34 shots in the 3-2 opening-night victory over the Rangers and is expected to get the start after Juuse Saros played Saturday.
OVERTIME
1. Calgary D Travis Hamonic (facial fracture) is expected to miss his second straight game after playing in the opener.
2. Nashville C Ryan Johansen had four points (two goals) in three games against Calgary last season.
3. Flames D Mark Giordano boasts three points and a team-best plus-3 rating through the first two games.