7:30 PM CT – Predators (29-16-4) @ Blackhawks (29-14-6)

Players to watch:
NSH- Ryan Suter
The All-Star defenseman made his return to the lineup last night, tallying two assists and logging 23:02 of ice time. Look for him to get more shifts tonight.
CHI- Dave Bolland
With Toews out, Bolland will likely have a more pronounced role down the middle. He seems to always play well against the Preds.

Starting goaltenders:
NSH- Pekka Rinne (2011-12 stats: 27-11-4, 2.39 GAA)
CHI- Corey Crawford (2011-12 stats: 18-11-4, 2.88 GAA)

Injury report:
NSH- Francis Bouillon (upper body, questionable)
CHI- Jonathan Toews (upper body, out), Patrick Sharp (hand, out), Dan Carcillo (knee, out)

Keys to the game:
NSH- Crowd Crawford’s crease… Chicago’s netminder doesn’t have very much confidence right now. And whatever confidence he does have, it seems to be teetering on the edge, as he struggles with inconsistency. The Preds need to crowd his crease and generate second chances to keep Crawford guessing.
CHI- Out-work the surging Preds… The Preds are 11-2-0 in their last 13 games. They are also on the back end of the back-to-back, the same situation the ‘Hawks found themselves in on Saturday. Without explosive players like Toews or Sharp, Joel Quenneville’s club will need to bring their lunch pail and out-work the Preds and win one-on-one battles.

Numbers to know:
- The Preds are 13-9-1 on the road this season … Chicago is 19-5-4 at home.
- The Preds are 10-2-2 against the Central Division this season … Chicago is 7-2-2.
- This is the third head-to-head meeting this season. The two teams split the first two games, with the home team winning each time.
- All-time at the United Center in Chicago, the Preds are 15-22-2. They are also 3-6-1 in their last 10 in the Windy City.
- The Preds are 2-4-0 in the back end of back-to-back’s this season; they beat Columbus 4-1 last night.
- Pekka Rinne is 7-6-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .917 save percentage in 15 career games vs. the Blackhawks. His likely counterpart, Corey Crawford, is 3-2-1 with a 2.46 GAA and .909 save percentage in 6 career games vs. Nashville.
- David Legwand has 50 points in 59 career games vs. Chicago, becoming the first player in franchise history to get 50 points against a single team.
- Power play rankings: Nashville (22.3%, 2nd) … Chicago (18.8%, 9th)
- Penalty kill: Nashville (83.3%, 11th) … Chicago (78.2%, 28th)

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