As the Predators continue their homestand tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, more updates related to some injuries were relayed ahead of puck drop.
Forward Tommy Novak was placed on injured reserve ahead of Tuesday’s game. The Predators announced he would miss the next 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Spencer Stastney was recalled as a result and joined the team for morning skate. He got word yesterday that he would be making the trek to Nashville.
“It’s going to be tough he’s been really good for us and been very creative and generates a lot of offense,” head coach Andrew Brunette said of Novak going on IR. “You have Cody Glass coming in and it’s a great opportunity to fill in that role and play the way he’s capable of playing.”
Glass was between forwards Kiefer Sherwood and Luke Evangelista during morning skate taking part in drills.
On the blue line defenseman Ryan McDonagh has missed the last four games before tonight and Brunette had expected him back sooner, but a brief setback has kept him out.
“It’s been a little bit static. It hasn’t really improved,” Brunette said. “He’s still day-to-day, we’re hoping anytime soon but just can’t seem to get any traction under him to get better.”
Defenseman Marc Del Gaizo will draw back in with McDonagh still out and play in his fifth NHL game. He was paired with Tyson Barrie last time out on Saturday and skated together during the morning skate.
Brunette added that Philip Tomasino would come out of the lineup as forward Michael McCarron comes in. McCarron last played in Winnipeg to conclude Nashville’s recent road trip.
On the flip side, Brunette voiced his frustration with Juuso Pärssinen who was scratched two games ago.
“It’s been a little frustrating with him. He’s been inconsistent through the season so far. Again, he kind of got off on the wrong foot with missing most of camp and he’s fallen on a hard time finding his game his groove game in and game out.
“It’s been a little inconsistent. He’s gotta find a way to bring the consistency to the professional level and it starts by putting a good game together and another one together. He’s put one in and doesn’t put the other one in. We’re hoping tonight, he’s going to get the opportunity to play on a pretty good line so we’ll see what he can do.”
Anaheim will also be without one of their creative forwards against Nashville.
The Ducks placed forward Trevor Zegras on IR last night. He had been nursing an injury this season and is now expected to miss at least the next two games with a lower-body injury.
“He’s got really unique gifts and talents with the pucks. He’s a big powerplay threat,” Ducks head coach Greg Cronin said. “He was the one thing I was impressed with, he was buying in defensively, and his point totals are really low. He was focusing away from the puck and he was doing a good job of it and with that habit, he was getting a lot of scoring chances, he just wasn’t scoring. We’ll miss the offense.”
As Nashville gets going tonight Brunette wants to see his team set the tempo right off the opening faceoff.
“When we’re on our game we’re in your face, we’re on top of you,” Brunette said. “We’re going to have to do that against these guys and be mindful of more of a checking mentality than the other night where I thought we played in-your-face hockey I just thought we were a little loose.”
Cronin called Nashville’s game “track meet hockey” seeing how much they go up and down the ice. The game against Arizona proved to Cronin that Brunette’s group is another team on the trend of playing a quick game.
The Ducks head coach confirmed that John Gibson would be starting against the Predators. Juuse Saros was the first goalie off for Nashville so he’ll likely go tonight.
Tune in to the pregame show with Max Herz at 6 p.m. and the broadcast in its entirety at 7 p.m. as the Predators take on the Ducks.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photo of Marc Del Gaizo & Juuse Saros courtesy of Nashville Predators
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