NASHVILLE PREDATORS NOTES:
ALL-TIME vs. ARIZONA
OVERALL (80 GP) 41-31-(2)-6
HOME (41 GP) 26-12-(2)-1
ROAD (39 GP) 15-19-(0)-5
LAST MEETING Feb. 13, 2023 at NSH (L, 4-2)
PLAYOFFS (0-2) Last: 2020 SCQ (L, 3-1)
− The Predators are 41-31-(2)-6 all-time against the Coyotes, including a 15-19-(0)-5 record on the road. This will be Nashville’s first-ever game at Mullett Arena.
− This is the third of four matchups between Nashville and Arizona in 2022-23; it is the first of two on the road.
− Nashville is 1-1-0 against Arizona this season, dropping the most recent matchup, 4-2, at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 13. The Predators earned a 4-3 shootout victory over the Coyotes on Nov. 21.
− The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Coyotes; they are 5-5-0 in their last 10; and 2-3-0 in their last five on the road.
− This is the second season Nashville and Arizona are both part of the Central Division.
− Nashville scored four times in the first 6:57 of the first period on April 29, 2022 at Arizona, including three goals in the opening 2:31, the fastest three goals to begin a game in franchise history.
NOTABLES vs. ARIZONA
− Matt Duchene owns 27 career points (13g-14a) against Arizona, the most among Predators skaters.
− Roman Josi has 15 points (7g-8a) in his last eight games vs. the Coyotes, including a four-point effort on Nov. 13, 2021 (2g2a).
− Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram was claimed on waivers from Nashville on Oct. 10. He made his first three career NHL starts with the Predators and started three of Nashville’s four postseason games in 2022.
− Arizona goaltender Karel Vejmelka was selected by the Predators in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
LAST TIME OUT
− Nashville Predators 6, San Jose Sharks 2 – Feb. 23 (SAP Center at San Jose)
− NSH goals: Niederreiter – PP (17), Granlund (8), Granlund – GWG (9), Trenin – SH (8), Niederreiter (18), Novak – PP (8)
− SJS goals: Sturm – SH (12), Kaut (2)
− Goaltenders: NSH – Saros (W, 22/24); SJS – Reimer (L, 25/31)
− Power plays: NSH 2-3; SJS 0-5
− Notes: Nashville improved to 12-12-3 on the road in 2022-23… The Predators closed out their three-game regular-season series against the Sharks with a 3-0-0 record… Nashville scored twice on the power play and once shorthanded; it was the 27th time in franchise history the team has done so in a single game and the first time since Nov. 17, 2018 vs. Los Angeles (2 PPG, 1 SHG)… Yakov Trenin scored his second and Nashville’s third shorthanded goal of the season… Mikael Granlund tallied a season-high three points (2g-1a); it was his first multi-goal game since Feb. 27, 2020 vs. Calgary (2g)… Matt Duchene recorded three assists and was one of five Predators skaters with multiple points… Philip Tomasino (2a) notched his first multi-point game of the season… Tommy Novak had two points (1g-1a), extending his point streak to four games (4g-4a).
INJURY REPORT
Player Designation Dates Missed Games Missed
Mark Borowiecki Upper body – IR Oct. 27-Feb. 23 49
Alexandre Carrier Upper body Jan. 26-Feb. 23 9
Filip Forsberg Upper body – day-to-day Feb. 13-23 6
Ryan Johansen Right leg surgery Feb. 23 1
Total man-games lost: 119
Individual man-games lost: Borowiecki – 50; McCarron – 20; Carrier – 14; McDonagh – 7; Forsberg – 6; Smith – 6; Trenin – 5;
Glass – 3; Lauzon – 3; Jankowski – 2; Duchene – 1; Johansen – 1; Lankinen – 1
NASHVILLE PREDATORS GAME NOTES
Feb. 26, 2023 at Arizona Coyotes
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
− Feb. 25: Acquired a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from Winnipeg for forward Nino Niederreiter.
− Feb. 23: Recalled forward Kiefer Sherwood from Milwaukee (AHL).
− Feb. 21: Reassigned forward Mark Jankowski to Milwaukee (AHL).
− Feb. 13: Recalled forward Philip Tomasino from Milwaukee (AHL).
− Feb. 8: Signed forward Tommy Novak to a one-year, $800,000 contract for 2023-24.
− Feb. 6: Signed forward Cole Smith to a one-year, $775,000 contract for 2023-24.
ARIZONA COYOTES NOTES:
3 HARD LAPS
• Arizona had its 9-game point streak snapped on Wednesday and enters tonight 5-1-4 in its last 10 games
• Clayton Keller enters tonight with 14 pts (6-8-14) in 8 GP since the All-Star Game, tied for the fifth-most points in the NHL since 2/6. Keller also enters tonight five points shy of securing his second consecutive 60-point season, a feat that was last achieved by Shane Doan during the 2007-09 seasons
• The Coyotes have captured at least a point in its last five meetings with a Central Division opponent (3-0-2). A win tonight would be the first time the Coyotes have beaten Nashville twice in a season since 2018-19
LAST GAME
Flames 6, Coyotes 3 – February 22, 2023 – Mullett Arena
ARI Goals: Schmaltz (16), Keller (24), Maccelli (4)
CGY Goals: Lucic (5), Lindholm (17), Toffoli (24), Pelletier (2), Duehr (3), Backlund (13)
ARI Goalie: Vejmelka (L) – 45 svs on 51 shots
CGY Goalie: Vladar (W) – 12 svs on 14 shots
PP: 1-2 PK: 2-5
Notes: ARI fell to the CGY in regulation to snap its 9-game point streak (5-0-4), a run that was the longest active point streak in the NHL entering Wednesday and is T-5th longest since the franchise relocated…Nick Schmaltz scored for the second consecutive game and fifth time in his last seven skates… Juuso Valimaki picked up an assist on Schmaltz’s goal to reach 20 points on the campaign (2-18-20), which gives ARI four defensemen who have produced 20+ points with the club this year (Gostisbehere, Chychrun, Moser); ARI is the only NHL team to have four d-men with 20+ points with them…Matias Maccelli established a three-game point streak with a goal and is now up to 29 points (4-25-29) in 40 games…Clayton Keller was credited with his 24th goal of the season and chipped in an assist…Karel Vejmelka recorded 45 saves for his 11th career 40+ sv performance, now ranks T-4 th in Coyotes/Jets franchise history… Wednesday marked the third time this season the Coyotes scored two unassisted goals in the same game (12/29 and 1/26)…Josh Brown left the game early due to an upper-body injury…The 5-0-4 start to a calendar month marks the first time that the Coyotes did not suffer a regulation loss for the first 7 games of a month since Feb. of 2012 (all 12 games)
MAN GAMES LOST (Name/Roster Status/Injury Type/Games Missed/Last Game Played)
Total man games lost: 118 games
Liam O’Brien – 23 (12/17 – 2/6) – Upper-Body | 2 (2/11 – 2/13) – Upper-Body
Jakob Chychrun – 16 (10/13 – 11/17) – Upper-Body
Matias Maccelli – 16 (12/27 – 1/24) – Lower-Body
Nick Schmaltz – 15 (10/15 – 11/17) – Upper-Body | 1 (12/31) – Upper-Body
Zack Kassian – 9 (11/1 – 11/21) – Lower-Body
Connor Timmins – 9 (10/15 – 11/5) – Upper-Body
Shayne Gostisbehere – 8 (1/26 – 2/18) – Upper-Body
Andrew Ladd – 6 (N/A) – Undisclosed
Josh Brown – 3 (11/23 – 11/27) – Upper-Body
Ben McCartney – 3 (10/13 – 10/17) – Lower-Body
Juuso Valimaki – 1 (11/23) – Upper-Body
Lawson Crouse – 1 (12/1) – Illness | 4 (1/19 – 1/24) – Upper-Body
Connor Ingram – 1 (1/8) – Illness
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
-2/22 – Acquired 2023 5th Round Draft Pick and D Shea Weber from Vegas in exchange for D Dysin Mayo
-2/16 – Assigned D Dysin Mayo to Tucson (AHL)
-2/11 – Recalled D Victor Sodestrom from Tucson (AHL)
-2/11 – Recalled D Dysin Mayo from Tucson (AHL)
-2/7 – Assigned F Jean-Sebastien Dea to Tucson (AHL)
-2/5 – Recalled F Jean-Sebastien Dea from Tucson (AHL)
-2/5 – Assigned F Dylan Guenther to the Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
DATE TIME (AZ) OPPONENT VENUE TV RADIO
Tue, Feb 28 7pm vs CHI Mullett Arena Bally Sports Arizona 98.7 FM
Wed, March 1 6:30pm at DAL American Airlines Center Bally Sports Arizona Extra TBD
Fri, March 3 7:30pm vs CAR Mullett Arena Bally Sports Arizona Extra TBD
YOTES & PREDS
- Tonight is the third of four ARI-NSH contests this season
- The Preds took the first game 4-3 in shootout on 11/21, and the Yotes captured the second one 4-2 on 2/13 – both games at Bridgestone Arena
- The teams will play once more at Mullett Arena on 3/9
- Lawson Crouse scored twice in the 2/13 win while Clayton Keller, Matias Maccelli and JJ Moser each tallied two assists
- Crouse holds a 3-game goal/point streak against the Predators, totaling 4-0-4 since 1/8/22
- Maccelli has found the scoresheet both times he’s faced NSH this season and got the assist on Crouse’s GWG on 2/13
- The Coyotes goaltenders have combined for a .934 SV% over the two times Arizona has played Nashville (Connor Ingram, 42-for-45 on 11/21; Karel Vejmelka, 29-for-31 on 2/13)
- The last time the Coyotes hosted the Predators was Game 82 of last season (4/29/22) that saw Arizona erase a four-goal deficit and win 5-4. It was the fourth time in Coyotes/Jets franchise history that the team won a game that it once trailed by four goals in
- Coyotes franchise vs Predators
• All-Time: 37-29-2-12
• Home: 24-11-0-4
• Road: 13-18-2-8
• L10: 5-4-1
• STRK: W1
SCORING NOTABLES AGAINST THE PREDATORS
Nick Bjugstad…7-1-8…18 career GP
Lawson Crouse…5-2-7…13 career GP
Nick Schmaltz…3-7-10…12 career GP
Shayne Gostisbehere…3-5-8…12 career GP
Clayton Keller…2-6-8…12 career GP
JJ Moser…0-4-4…4 career GP
Matias Maccelli…0-3-3…2 career GP
Career Leaders
Goals (Bjugstad, 7)… Assists (Schmaltz, 7)…Points (Schmaltz, 10)
Career Leaders Among Defensemen
Goals (Chychrun/Gostisbehere, 3)…Assists (Gostisbehere, 5)…Points (Gostisbehere, 8)
