The Nashville Predators face the Calgary Flames with both teams looking to leap into a playoff spot in the final few games of the season. The Predators have a 40-31-8 record and are only three points out of wild card position while the Flames have a 37-27-16 record and are only one point out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Both teams look to make one final push for the playoffs and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.
The Predators are having a strong season but hope their offense improves, scoring only 2.71 goals per game. Matt Duchene and Thomas Novak have scored 39 goals and 58 assists but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only seven active skaters have 10 goals or more and opponents can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.
The offense has struggled but the defense has stepped up, allowing only 2.87 goals per game with only four goals in the last three games. Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh have combined for 9.3 defensive point shares and 300 blocked shots while Dante Fabbro and Jeremy Lauzon have combined for 5.4 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Juuse Saros has been great with a .918 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average on 2031 shots with 28.6 goals saved above average.