Standings: Predators (26-15-4), Rangers (28-11-4)

Leading Scorer: Shea Weber (9-23-32)

Goaltender: Pekka Rinne (41 GP, 2.50 GAA, .920 SV%)

Rangers Lines (probable):

Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky-Brad Richards-Ryan Callahan
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust
Artem Anisimov-John Mitchell-Mike Rupp

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto-Anton Stralman
Marc Staal-Stu Bickel

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start tonight.

Scratches/Injuries: Mike Sauer (concussion), Jeff Woywitka (foot), Wojtek Wolski (healthy)

Preview: As mentioned in my post this morning, the Predators just find a way to win games. They don’t exactly shut you down, they don’t exactly light you up, but they just win. They out grind you on a daily basis, and that has been their M.O. for years now. Due to the lack of scoring, the Preds are a traditional trapping team, so this game might be a bit of a boring one.

What the Preds lack in offense they make up for in star power on the blue line. A 1-2 punch of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter (scratched) is possibly the best 1-2 punch in hockey right now. Add Pekke Rinne (also scratched tonight) to the mix, and you have about 30 minutes of ice time where even top offensive teams will have trouble scoring.

Although they aren’t high scoring, the Preds do boast nine players with 20+ points at the midway point of the season. This is a team that is much like the Rangers in that they play a team game to win. Special teams again is a must, especially against a 1-2-2/1-4 trapping team like the Preds. This is a game with playoff implications for both teams, and although it might be boring, it is a crucial game.

Crazy Thought: Staal gets his first of the year.

Opponent’s Blog: Section 303

Game time tonight is 7:30pm on NBC Sports (formerly Versus), AM1050, and XM204.

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