Golden Knights Gameday 78: Music City Encore: Lines and Starting Goalies vs Predators

The Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-7, 103 points) will finish up their final back-to-back of the season against the Nashville Predators (38-30-8, 84 points) this evening in Tennessee at 5:00 p.m. The VGK are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild Monday.

Jonathan Quick is expected to start, Chandler Stephenson could return from illness, and with a Golden Knight's victory, the Colorado Avalanche can clinch a trip to the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

What to Watch For

Preds Want Playoffs

The Nashville Predators are still in the hunt to make the playoffs this season, as they are five points back from the Winnipeg Jets for the last Wild Card position. From the way things currently stand, if the Predators were to make it in as the second wild card, they would play the VGK in round one.

The Golden Knights, who were the first team in the West to clinch, can play spoiler against the Predators and their playoff hopes tonight.

Wounded Predator

The challenge for the Predators to make the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs has gotten even harder these past couple of weeks as Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Johansen are all out with injuries. Combine this with the fact that the Predators sold off Mattias Ekholm, Tanner Jeannot, Mikael Granlund, and Nino Niedderreiter at the trade deadline, and now their depth is greatly being tested.

*Insert 'Quick' Pun Here*

Jonathan Quick will get his first start in seven days as Laurent Brossoit has emerged in his last three-straight starts as a top candidate to take the Golden Knight's goaltending reigns. It will be interesting to see how Quick performs especially considering his former team, the LA Kings, will be in town Thursday.

Projected Golden Knights Line Combinations

Ivan Barbashev- Jack Eichel- Jonathan Marchessault

Reilly Smith- William Karlsson- Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden- Nicolas Roy- Phil Kessel

Michael Amadio- Teddy Blueger- Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez- Alex Pietrangelo

Ben Hutton- Nicolas Hague

Brayden McNabb- Zach Whitecloud

Jonathan Quick/Laurent Brossoit

Golden Knights Special Teams

PP1: Eichel, Roy, Smith, Barbashev, Pietrangelo

PP2: Marchessault, Karlsson, Dorofeyev, Kessel, Hutton

PK1: Karlsson, Roy, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Blueger, Howden, Whitecloud, Martinez

IR/Scratches

Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner/Mark Stone (c), Will Carrier, Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Shea Theodore, Chandler Stephenson/Paul Cotter, Brayden Pachal

Projected Predators Line Combinations

Egor Afanasyev- Cody Glass- Philip Tomasino

Kiefer Sherwood- Thomas Novak- Luke Evangelista

Rasmus Asplund- Colton Sissons- Yakov Trenin

John Leonard- Mark Jankowski- Michael McCarron

Ryan McDonagh- Dante Fabbro

Spencer Stastney- Tyson Barrie

Kevin Gravel- Cal Foote

Juuse Saros/Kevin Lankinen

Predators Special Teams

PP1- Tomasino, Glass, Evangelista, Novak, Barrie

PP2- Trenin, Sissons, Sherwood, Asplund, Fabbro

PK1- Jankowski, McCaron, McDonagh, Fabbro

PK2- Sissons, Trenin, Gravel, Foote

IR/Scratches

Roman Jose (c), Filip Forsberg, Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen, Jeremy Lauzon, Alexandre Carrier, Mark Borowiecki, Juuso Parssinen/Cole Smith, Jake Livingstone, 

How to Watch/Listen

5:00 p.m. on AT&T Sportsnet, ESPN+ and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.