The Nashville Predators face the Vegas Golden Knights with both teams heading in opposite directions to start the season. The Predators have a 14-14-5 record and are near the bottom of the Central Division while the Golden Knights have a 24-12-2 record and are in first place in the Pacific Division. Both teams are looking to improve in the Western Conference and head into the new year on the right foot and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Predators are having a rough season with their offense letting them down, scoring only 2.48 goals per game. Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg have scored 20 goals and 32 assists while defenseman Roman Josi has added seven goals and 19 assists from the point but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only five skaters have five goals or more while only six skaters have eight assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has also played poorly, allowing 3.03 goals per game. Mattias Ekholm and Ryan McDonagh have combined for 3.8 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net at will. The one bright spot has been the play of goaltender Juuse Saros who has a .914 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average on 838 shots.