After splitting their second back-to-back the Nashville Predators play one home game this week against the Philadelphia Flyers before pulling double duty again this weekend.
Goaltender Juuse Saros will go up against Samuel Ersson in net tonight as both squads are searching for their 16th win this season. Flyers head coach John Tortorella said Ryan Poehling will also return to the lineup in Nashville tonight.
Saros and Kevin Lankinen are a combined 10-3-0 since Nov. 16 and as a result, Nashville finds itself a few games above .500 as they play their seventh game in 12 days tonight as the calendar year comes to a close.
“I think he’s dialed in… I can tell when he’s dialed in real tight and that’s what he looks like right now,” head coach Andrew Brunette said of Saros. “He used to play a different way seeing pucks differently so it’s been a little bit of an adjustment period… I think our defense is starting to understand that they’re finding that balance between the two things we ask them to do. We were leaning too much the other way and cutting his sight lines a little bit. We’re getting the hang of it slowly we’re not there yet.”
While Nashville’s starting netminder has his engine running at full steam it’s the younger skaters who are being tested as of late too with this slate of games almost every other night.
“Details go sideways at times. A lot of it is fatigue and a lot of it is just a lot of hockey, it’s a lot of mental,” Brunette said. “They’re in tight games etc. getting yourself ready to play and all the different pressures that come with being a young player.
“I think Evangelista has been growing in that department and I think Tomasino was a little bit slippery over the weekend. They’re young players and that’s what happens with young players.”
Now that Juuso Pärssinen is over one year into his time playing full-time with the Predators he finds himself reflecting on how many games he’s played just like Brunette anticipates.
“It’s a tough stretch, I don’t know if I’ve played this much hockey in such a short period but personally I like it,” Pärssinen said. “I like to play more than I like to practice. It’s hard for your head and your body but it’s our job. There’s not [a lot of time] where you feel 100% in the season. Sometimes you feel tired, it doesn’t matter you still have to do your job and you have to do whatever to get ready for games.”
The stout forward has seven points in 27 games this season and since being scratched on Nov. 9 he’s been taking steps in the right direction wherever Brunette needs him to be in the lineup.
“I’ve been changing lines a lot this season and that’s just how it is sometimes and I feel like you can put me on different lines and it doesn’t matter who the players are,” Pärssinen said. “Of course it’s different but I’m fine with whoever and you just have to settle in with whoever it is.”
Pärssinen has been taking notes from practicing faceoffs as well. So far this season he’s won 38.8% of his draws and is third on the team in total faceoffs taken.
“We’re working on it every gameday and we have Sissons and O’Reilly who are unreal at faceoffs. Those are two guys I can take a lot from,” Pärssinen said.
It all depends on who goes up against whom when practicing faceoffs and getting advice to improve in that area of the game.
“You have to find a way, what’s your thing you do at faceoffs and be the best at that,” Pärssinen said.
Follow along for all the action tonight with the pregame show starting at 6 p.m. with Max Herz and then Pete Weber has the call at 7 p.m.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of Nashville Predators
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