The Nashville Predators face the New Jersey Devils in a matchup between two teams that are having opposite starts to the season. The Predators have a 10-9-2 record and are in the middle of the Central Division while the Devils are 19-4 and with a three-game winning streak, they have the best record in the Metropolitan Division. The Predators are looking to make up ground in the Western Conference while the Devils look to remain near the top of the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a good one as a result.
The Predators are off to a rough start to the season with their offense struggling, scoring only 2.52 goals per game with only three goals in the last two games. Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Mikael Granlund have scored 14 goals and 38 assists while Roman Josi is adding five goals and 12 assists from the point but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only five skaters have scored four goals or more while only four skaters have seven assists or more and opposing defenses can eliminate the top-heavy offense as a result.
The offense has let the Predators down but the defense has also struggled, allowing 3.10 goals per game. Mattias Ekholm, Roman Josi, and Ryan McDonagh have combined for 3.4 defensive point shares and 117 blocked shots but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to carry the puck into the offensive zone and find open shots on the net. The bright spot has been t he play of goaltender Juuse Saros who has a .910 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average on 499 shots.