Following their comeback win against the Blackhawks in Chicago last night, the Nashville Predators (2-5-0) will return to the ice tonight as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets (3-3-0) for Pride Music Heritage Night. at Bridgestone Arena with puck drop at 7pm CT.

The Preds have won two straight games after losing their first five games to start the season, and although last night’s effort in Chicago wasn’t perfect, there are still positives heading into tonight’s matchup.

“I don’t think the mentality has really changed,” Preds forward Filip Forsberg said after Friday’s win. “When you go on a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season, it certainly doesn’t seem as bad as going 0-5, right? But I think we did a lot more right things. I thought (Tuesday’s win) was the best game against Boston. It was a little bit of a step back.” “But I thought we played well enough to win at the right moments and we definitely had some new things to take with us.”

Nashville’s lineup remains unchanged over the last two games, including rookie forward Zach L’Heureux’s first two career outings. The Predators did not hold a morning skate before tonight’s game.

Last Check Out Time:

Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Brady Skjei represented Nashville in Friday’s 3-2 win, while Juuse Saros made 33 saves. Nyquist, whose short mark was his 200th NHL goal, also added an assist and Skjei’s game-winner came on the power play in the third period.

Good Guys:

Forsberg leads the Preds with three goals and seven points this season, followed by Ryan O’Reilly (2g-4a) with six points. Luke Evangelista (1g-4a) and Roman Josi (5a) had five points each, while Tommy Novak netted three times. Saros is 2-4-0 in net for Nashville; Scott Wedgewood has lost his only appearance so far.

Opposition:

Columbus last played on Tuesday night, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 6-2. Kirill Marchenko (3g-5a) leads the Blue Jackets with eight points this season, followed by Sean Monahan and Yegor Chinakhov with three goals and four assists. Defenseman Zach Werenski has two goals and six points this season, while former Preds forward Mathieu Olivier has three goals in six games. Goalkeeper Daniil Tarasov made the score 3-1-0 for Columbus; Elvis Merzlikins 0-2-0.

Meetings of All Time:

Nashville is 69-23-(1)-8 all-time against Columbus, including a 42-6-(1)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators have a .728 point percentage against the Blue Jackets; this is Nashville’s most points against any team in the NHL.

The Predators are 11-3-1 in their last 15 games against the Blue Jackets; They are 8-0-0 in their last eight games at Bridgestone Arena and are outscoring Columbus 30-13 in those contests.

In Nashville’s 52 home games against Columbus, they have lost just six times in regulation, with two of those losses coming in the first three meetings between the teams. Nashville’s 42 wins against Columbus at Bridgestone Arena were the most against a single NHL opponent at home.

Celebrities vs. Columbus:

Roman Josi equalized the second highest points he has scored in a match in his career with four points (2g-2a) in the last match between the two teams. It was his eighth four-point game of his NHL career. Josi has collected 22 points (6g-16a) in 34 contests against the Blue Jackets, including two multi-point efforts during the 2020-21 season.

Steven Stamkos has recorded 40 points (20g-20a) in 33 career games against Columbus, including two four-pointers (April 9, 2024: 3g-1a, April 26, 2022: 2g-2a).

Brady Skjei has 18 points (8g-10a) in 34 career games against the Blue Jackets; this is the most points scored by Skjei against any team.

Filip Forsberg scored two hat tricks against Columbus, including his first career four-goal game on November 30, 2021. Had 22 points (13g-9a) in 26 career games with the Blue Jackets; Including 10 of the last game. 16 games against Columbus.

Assistant Coach Todd Richards was Columbus’ head coach for parts of five seasons from 2012-15.

Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier (2019-22) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (2020-21) spent time in Nashville.

Milestone Tracking:

Gustav Nyquist scored the 200th goal of his career last night in Chicago

Andrew Esmer won his 100th game as an NHL head coach last night in Chicago.

Luke Schenn is one point shy of 200 in his NHL career.

Tommy Novak is one point out of 100 in his NHL career.

Jeremy Lauzon is five games over .300 in his NHL career.

Watch and Listen:

Broadcast of tonight’s game starts at 18:30 with Predators LIVE! Pregame show hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill on FanDuel Sports Network South. The call will be conducted by television play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and track reporter Kara Hammer. Preds fans can still find FanDuel Sports Network on the same channel locations and app as Bally Sports South.

Voices of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will announce the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission broadcasts anchored by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The match will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe, which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (All parties are transmitted in Spanish by El Jefe on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.)