The second-seeded Vancouver Canucks (50-23-9, first in the Pacific Division) are on the road as they play Game 4 of their best-of-seven Western Conference series with the seventh-seeded Nashville Predators (47-30-5, fourth in the Central Division) in the Music City on Sunday afternoon.
What was formerly seen as a lop-sided series is now as even as it gets. The Predators were this season's darlings after going on a remarkable 16-0-2 stretch toward the end of the season. Nashville have their work cut out for them, as the Canucks were in the fray for the Presidents' Trophy all season long.
In the opening game of the series last Sunday, Vancouver rallied in the final quarter to take a 4-2 win to draw first blood. In Game 2, Nashville knotted the series by picking up a 4-1 victory to steal home-ice advantage.
The Canucks promptly reclaimed home ice edge with a 2-1 low-scoring win in Game 3 of the series Friday night to take a 2-1 series advantage.
Here, GOAL brings you all the information you need to know about this NHL match, including how to watch, team news, key results and head-to-head results.
Nashville Predators vs Vancouver Canucks: Date & Puck-Drop time
| Date | Sunday, April 28, 2024 |
| Time | 5:00 pm ET/ 2:00 pm PT |
| Arena | Bridgestone Arena |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
The Stanley Cup Playoff Round 1 Game 4 between Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks takes place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, USA on Sunday, April 28, 2024. The puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 pm ET/ 2:00 pm PT.
How to watch Nashville Predators vs Vancouver Canucks NHL Game on TV & stream live online
The Nashville Predators vs Vancouver Canucks NHL fixture will be broadcast live nationally on TBS/ truTV.
Fans without access to the aforementioned channel can stream the match through the streaming service Max.
Plans for Max start at under $10 a month. Max With Ads is available for $9.99/month($99.99/year), and ad-free plans are priced at $15.99/month ($149.99/year) or $19.99/month ($199.99/year).
Nashville Predators vs Vancouver Canucks Team News & Key Leaders
Nashville Predators
Spencer Stastney is the only injury concern on the Predators' injury report, listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. At 4:57 in the first period, Joshua knocked the defenseman into the boards, forcing him to leave the game temporarily. He returned later in the first but concluded his final shift at 9:20 in the second period.
The Canucks are expected to go with the same lineup as in Game 3. Nashville controlled long stretches of play in Game 3 and badly outshot Vancouver only to end up falling short.
Tommy Novak finished fifth on the Predators' squad with 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 71 games this season, but has zero points and three shots on goal in the first three games of the series as centre on a line alongside Mark Jankowski and Luke Evangelista. He certainly needs to produce more if Predators are to level things up here.
Head coach Brunette has hinted at some lineup changes in the forward department for Game 4, with forwards Cody Glass and Juuso Parssinen each an option, the latter was recalled from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
Filip Forsberg has one goal and two assists in this series. Unfortunately, he went cold in Game 3 alongside Jason Zucker (one goal, two assists in the playoffs) and will need to carry the Predators on their backs in Game 4 to give Nashville a chance to get back in this series.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks had the bad luck of losing one of the league's top goalies for the playoffs in goaltender Thatcher Demko due to a knee injury picked up in Game 1. Defenseman Tucker Poolman is out with a head injury.
Backup Casey Desmith is fine as a backup, and he's done OK these playoffs with a .911 SV% and a -0.2 GSAx after an amazing Game 3 performance, but he's as volatile as ever.
After erupting in Game 1 for two goals and one assist, Daniel Joshua has been anonymous since and needs to do more. Nikita Zadarov has one goal and one assist. However, he also had a quiet Game 3. Elias Pettersson was the best player on the ice for most of the regular season, but he's struggled to stamp his authority on this series and has been anonymous.
JT Miller now has one goal and two assists after a solid Game 3. He's the only one in fine shooting form on this team.
Head-to-Head Record
Vancouver swept the three-game season series against Nashville, outscoring them 13-6. Both of these teams have only met once before in the postseason, with the Canucks winning 4-2 in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals. This gives Vancouver a 6-3 head-to-head edge in playoff victories.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 04/24/24 | Nashville Predators 1-2 Vancouver Canucks | NHL |
| 04/24/24 | Vancouver Canucks 1-4 Nashville Predators | NHL |
| 04/21/24 | Vancouver Canucks 4-2 Nashville Predators | NHL |
| 12/20/23 | Nashville Predators 2-5 Vancouver Canucks | NHL |
| 11/01/23 | Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Nashville Predators | NHL |