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GAME DAY: Oilers vs. Preds, October 31

GAME DAY: Oilers vs. Preds, October 31

The Nashville Predators close out the month of October tonight when they host the Edmonton Oilers at Bridgestone Arena for a puck drop at 7 p.m. CT. The Halloween matchup marks the second time the Preds and Oilers have met this season; Nashville lost 4-2 to Edmonton on October 17th.

After a slow start, the Predators have now picked up points in each of their last four games, including a 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Monday night. Previously, the Preds won three straight, including a shutout against Boston last week and their first win of the season.

“The last four (games), I think if you look at the Boston game, I thought we lived up to our identity as it was going to be,” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought it was our most complete game of the year. And then the next three games there were those inconsistencies again… We’re trying to somehow manage to perform (completely) in a 60-minute game and we’re on the way there. It just takes a while and it will be better for us in the long run. Here we just have to stick to the program a bit.”

The Oilers will be without superstar forward Connor McDavid tonight after he was injured in Columbus on Monday. Still, Brunette knows the Preds will still have their work cut out for them every time they play Edmonton.

“(They still have) some really good pieces, and we all know it a lot of times, especially a team that … they lose a superstar, get together and take off,” Brunette said. “So we have our own problems and we have to find a way to play a little better.”

Last time out:

Steven Stamkos recorded two assists – his first multi-point attempt with the Preds – as he returned to Tampa for the first time since signing with Nashville. Ryan O’Reilly and Nyquist played together for the Predators in the overtime loss, and Juuse Saros made 24 saves in one of his best performances of the season.

The good ones:

Filip Forsberg (4g-4a) and Ryan O’Reilly (3g-5a) lead the Preds with eight points each, followed by Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, who each have two goals and six points. Nyquist (3g-2a), Luke Evangelista (1g-4a) and Roman Josi (5a) each have five points. Saros is 2-4-1 in net and has a .905 save percentage.

The opposition:

The Oilers (4-5-1) were back-to-back wins before falling 6-1 in the finale on Monday in Columbus. With McDavid out due to injury, Leon Draisaitl leads the Oilers with six goals and 10 points in 10 games. Former Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm has eight points (2g-6a) and Evan Bouchard has three goals and six points. Stuart Skinner is 2-4-1 in net; Calvin Pickard, who beat the Preds two weeks ago, is 2-1-0 in four games.

All-time meeting:

Nashville has a 46-34-(3)-4 all-time record against Edmonton, including a 23-18-(3)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators have a 16-11-1 record in their last 28 games with the Oilers, including an 8-6-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.

Nashville won 13 straight games against Edmonton from October 29, 2014 through October. February 20, 2018, outscoring the Oilers 40-15 during the streak.

Celebrities vs. Edmonton:

Jonathan Marchessault scored his first goal as a member of the Predators in the first game of the season against the Oilers. Filip Forsberg also lit the lamp and Roman Josi picked up two assists.

Ryan O’Reilly scored 37 career points (16g-21a) against the Oilers, including his fifth career NHL hat trick as part of a four-point game (3g-1a) on November 4 in Edmonton.

Forsberg has 25 points (13g-12a) in 26 career games against the Oilers. He became the second player in NHL history to score a “lacrosse-style” goal in Nashville’s game against Edmonton on January 14, 2020.

Juuse Saros set the Nashville franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he made 46 against Edmonton on December 14, 2017. In 11 career games against the Oilers, Saros is 3-5-1 with a .916 save percentage and two shutouts.

Milestone clock:

Luke Schenn has one of 200 points in his NHL career.

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

Jeremy Lauzon has played three out of 300 games in his NHL career.

Filip Forsberg is five power play goals ahead of Shea Weber, who secured the franchise lead (80).

See and hear:

Tonight’s competition will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu, with John Buccigross and Kevin Weekes on the call.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pre-game, post-game and halftime coverage from Max Herz beginning an hour before the puck drops. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe, which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (The show was also broadcast in Spanish by El Jefe on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.)