NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – After a successful trip to Prague that saw the Nashville Predators earn four points against the San Jose Sharks, the team returns home to Bridgestone Arena to host their division rivals, the Dallas Stars, in their home opener.
Fans are encouraged to hang out at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza as the Preds will walk the Gold Carpet at 3:30 p.m. before puck drop at 7:30p.m. No special ticket is required to enter the plaza.
The trip to Europe saw three of Nashville’s newcomers already make names for themselves
Nino Niederreiter scored three goals in two games against the Sharks in Prague, including two in Saturday’s 3-2 win.
“Obviously, the most important thing is that we won,” Niederreiter said to reporters after Saturday’s game. “But it feels great to be able to contribute to the team.”
Kiefer Sherwood also found the back of the net in his team debut Friday against San Jose and also tallied an assist. Both Niederreiter and Sherwood inked free agent deals with Nashville during the offseason.
Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who was acquired via trade in early July, has two assists in his first two games as a Predator, including an assist on Sherwood’s goal Friday.
Roman Josi enters his sixth season as Predators captain. The blueliner will look to build on a stellar 2021-22 campaign that saw him notch career highs in goals (23) and assists (73), while skating in 80 games. Josi also finished second in Norris Trophy voting and sixth in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy.
Dallas, meanwhile, skates into Bridgestone Arena with a new coach behind the bench. Peter DeBoer was hired as head coach in late June, just one month after being relieved of his duties in Vegas. DeBoer takes over a Stars team that finished with a 46-30-6 overall record and a 14-8-4 record against Central Division foes.
Predators goaltender Juuse Saros has found success throughout his career against Dallas, posting a 12-4-1 record, including three shutouts.
Thursday night’s game will be televised exclusively on ESPN+/Hulu, while the radio broadcast can be heard on 102.5 The Game.