NBCSN’s coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Thursday’s matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
Nashville had its bye week lead directly into All-Star Weekend and came out of the break last in the Central Division, but after a third-period 5-4 comeback win at Washington last night, the Predators are just four points out of the Wild Card.
Both of these teams have made coaching changes this season (John Hynes in for Peter Laviolette in Nashville and Alain Nasreddine in for New Jersey after Hynes was let go), two of seven teams in the league to do so thus far (Nashville, New Jersey, Vegas, San Jose, Calgary, Dallas, Toronto). With Hynes and Peter DeBoer, who was let go by San Jose on Dec. 11 and hired as Vegas’ head coach on Jan. 15, this marks the third season in NHL history that two coaches have led two different teams.
Despite leading Nashville to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons, the sluggish start to the 2019-20 season was enough for the Predators to move on from Laviolette, their second-ever head coach, and bring in Hynes, whose head coaching experience consisted of leading the Devils for four-plus seasons (2015-16 to 2019-20) before being fired on December third after New Jersey lost 17 of its first 26 games.
When Hynes was fired, Nasreddine was promoted to interim head coach. Nasreddine, 44, worked under Hynes for five seasons with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and joined the Devils as an assistant in 2015 when Hynes was appointed head coach. Nasreddine played 74 career games in the NHL, playing for Chicago, Montreal, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh
New Jersey is 9-11-3 since Nasreddine took over. Nashville is 4-4-0 since Hynes was hired.
[COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN]
WHAT: Nashville Predators at New Jersey Devils
WHERE: Prudential Center
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 30, 6:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
LIVE STREAM: You can watch the Predators-Devils stream on NBC Sports’ live stream page and the NBC Sports app.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
PREDATORS
Matt Duchene - Ryan Johansen - Mikael Granlund
Filip Forsberg - Kyle Turris - Viktor Arvidsson
Rocco Grimaldi - Nick Bonino - Craig Smith
Calle Jarnkrok - Colin Blackwell - Austin Watson
Roman Josi - Yannick Weber
Mattias Ekholm - Dante Fabbro
Dan Hamhuis - Matt Irwin
Starting goalie: Pekka Rinne
DEVILS
Jesper Bratt - Nico Hischier - Kyle Palmieri
Blake Coleman - Travis Zajac - Nikita Gusev
Pavel Zacha - Jack Hughes - Wayne Simmonds
Miles Wood - Kyle Rooney - John Hayden
Andy Greene - P.K. Subban
Damon Severson - Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher - Mirco Mueller
Starting goalie: Mackenzie Blackwood
Kenny Albert and Joe Micheletti will call the action at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Kathryn Tappen will anchor studio coverage on Thursday alongside Anson Carter.