Nashville Predators v Minnesota Wild — NHL starting goalies tonight: Projected starters for your fantasy hockey team | Jan. 29

NHL starting goalies tonight: Projected starters for your fantasy hockey team | Jan. 29

Modified Jan 29, 2024 18:38 GMT

There is only one NHL game on Monday night, with the Nashville Predators (26-22-1) visiting the Ottawa Senators (18-25-2) at Canadian Tire Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.

Before tonight's contest, each team lost their previous games on Saturday, with the Predators losing 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers and the Senators getting dropped 7-2 by the New York Rangers.

Overall, Nashville is 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, and after holding down the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference for most of the season, they are now one point behind the St. Louis Blues.

Considering the two teams ahead of them in the NHL standings (including the Los Angeles Kings) have games in hand, tonight's contest is critical towards their playoff push.

Meanwhile, the Senators are 4-4-2 in their last 10 and are the lowest-ranked team in the Eastern Conference. After almost qualifying for the playoffs last year, the franchise has taken a significant step backward, firing its coach and tumbling down the standings.

Furthermore, these teams could not be more opposites. Heading into the upcoming NHL trade deadline, the Predators could become buyers to help their playoff push, while the Senators will become sellers.

Ultimately, what each team chooses to do will be decided by the direction management elects to lead the club. In Ottawa, they have a great young core and may not want to part with anyone, but they must find ways to improve and put this miserable season behind them.

Moreover, the Predators have a handful of veterans guiding the ship, but could they get different results if they moved out one for another? Considering how close they are to the NHL playoffs, it would be wise to go all in, but not at the risk of losing future assets.

Even though this is just a single game in late January, it is a must-win for Nashville while serving as another audition for players in Ottawa who may be in a different jersey in March.