Forward Sam Fagemo is set to make his Nashville Predators debut against the San Jose Sharks tonight. He was claimed on waivers back on Oct. 2 from the Los Angeles Kings.
“He’s played powerplay a lot of his career and we’ll probably throw him in, let him get his feet wet first tonight though, see how he does tonight but I know he can really shoot the puck,” head coach Andrew Brunette said.
Nashville also claimed forward Liam Foudy on Saturday from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Foudy is in the final year of his second contract and will be a restricted free agent this offseason.
Forward Liam Foudy claimed by the #Preds today.
He played with Luke Evangelista on the London Knights in the 19-20 season.Foudy has 19 points in 90 NHL Games. In the AHL he has 41 games & 35 points.
— Nick Kieser 🏒 (@KieserNick) October 21, 2023
On the flip side, former Predators forward Mikael Granlund will not play tonight according to head coach David Quinn. Nashville will see forward Luke Kunin and defenseman Matt Benning who also had stints in Nashville.
Juuse Saros will get his sixth consecutive start of the season tonight against the Sharks. He’s 9-2-1 overall against the Sharks in his career to this point.
The Predators are 3-for-7 on the powerplay since Tuesday and for Brunette, he would still like for things to click as the season goes on.
“I’d like to see the powerplay gain a little more momentum,” Brunette said. “Some chemistry five on five and offensively at times we’re a bit disconnected. I think there’s a little more there inside presence. There’s lots of things to work on but I hope the powerplay starts to click.”
One duo that has developed more of a connection lately for Nashville is the combination of Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak. They’ve played each game together and so far have a combined total of three points.
“Everyone is different. Novak for example I think we complement each other really well because of the way we think the game similarly,” Evangelista said. “We’re high IQ guys and playmakers so we’re able to play that give-and-go game which is really good. You throw someone in like [Kiefer Sherwood] on that line and he’s the first guy on the forecheck retrieving pucks and has a good shot.”
As Evangelista continues to get acclimated to playing at the NHL level he understands having a quick memory is a tool to have with a long season ahead.
“If you have a tough night or the team has a tough night you can take Edmonton as an example. We got shelled in our own building and then we play two nights later in New York. We bounced back and get a team win like that it’s that kind of stuff that throughout the season we’re able to have a quick memory.”
One veteran that stands out to Evangelista is centerman Ryan O’Reilly. The way he plays on both sides of the puck is appealing to the young forward.
“His defensive stick and how he’s able to knock pucks out of the air and strip guys of the puck, Evangelista said. “He creates a lot of possession for himself in the offensive zone and chances for himself just because he’s getting the puck back for himself. That’s how I’ve been wanting to work on my game too”
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