The last time the Nashville Predators came to Toronto they didn’t actually get to play. The game was set for the Thursday of the now infamous week of March 2020 when the pandemic swept across North America. The Maple Leafs had played only two days earlier, hosting the Lightning in a game where Auston Matthews scored his 47th goal of the season on the way to a Leafs 2-1 victory.

That game feels like it was far more than only 20 months ago, yet, that is how long it has been, and now tonight, the Predators finally get to have their game in Toronto. We’ll have full coverage in our afternoon preview. Note that this game will be broadcast on TSN, so black out rules are in effect for most of Ontario.

Other News

A reminder that all of this is not really quite over came yesterday as the Ottawa Senators have been temporarily shut down as COVID-19 has swept through the team.

NHL Postpones Next Three Ottawa Senators Games - Silver Seven
No Sens hockey for the rest of the week due to Covid protocols.

Pieere LeBrun reminded everyone that the Olympics are still not 100% certain, and the more games that get postponed, the more likely the NHL is to refuse to send its players away for a two week break in February.

As youth hockey players return to the ice, referee shortage leads to game cancellations | CBC News
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shortage of referees for youth hockey games across Canada, according to a senior hockey official.

Highlights from Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2020 speeches - NHL.com
You can find all of the Hall of Fame Induction speeches embedded here.

Highly touted draft pick Yegor Chinakov got his first NHL goal last night and it was quite something. Also, wow did the Red Wings ever bungle this one.

Finally, the NHLPA has retained a law firm to conduct an internal investigation into how they managed to completely fail to take any action at all in 2010 when Kyle Beach sought out their assistance. This comes on the heels of whispers in the media that some players are calling for major changes to the association’s leadership group.

From The Branches