Because it was really bad. Still drying outThis wasn’t like a flood in which water slowly seeps in from the ground. It came gushing into Bridgestone’s lowest, event level – the nerve center of gameday operations, not to mention the team’s headquarters – through the ceiling from the concourse above. It soaked everything, including a control room full of expensive equipment that runs the graphics, replays and video boards at Bridgestone.

By Tuesday morning, that control room was still drying out from about six inches of water. Rust and corrosion were already appearing on some devices. “This room is probably off-line for a minimum of six months, ” said Jacob Lutz, the Nashville Predators’ director of technical operations. Most of the electronics will end up being replaced. It’s kind of like mistakenly going swimming and drowning a cell phone. You can wait for it to work, but you understand it probably won’t.

The Predators' gameday operations had been rebuilt as much as possible and moved to a TV truck outside. Some glitches Tuesday night were inevitable. The hope, Lutz said, is in a couple of weeks to be operating like a magic show with smoke and mirrors behind the stage, meaning fans can’t tell a difference. It's symbolic of the overall operation. Whether you see it or not, Bridgestone is going to be limping for a while. Some elevators are down. Other electronics throughout the event level aren’t working.

Contrary to what many assume, this Washington team has been led by their defensive prowess, allowing only 2. 70 goals per game, tied for the seventh best mark in the league. Ottawa comes into tonight with arguably the best special teams unit in the league in the month of December. In December the Senators have the most power play goals and have been converting well above their season average of 28. 2% on the power play (the third best in the league). Additionally, the Senators have only given up five goals while on the penalty kill, and only two since December 6th.

4 penalties and 12. 2 penalty minutes while giving up 3. 5 goals per game. Predators: 2-5-3, averaging 2. 1 goals, 3. 8 assists, four penalties and 9. 3 penalty minutes while giving up 2. 9 goals per game. INJURIES: Ducks: Jamie Drysdale: out (shoulder), John Moore: out (undisclosed), Isac Lundestrom: out (finger), John Gibson: day to day (lower body), Derek Grant: out (lower body), Urho Vaakanainen: day to day (illness).

Anaheim plays Nashville after Henrique's 2-goal gameNashville Predators (14-14-5, sixth in the Central Division) vs. Anaheim Ducks (9-22-4, eighth in the Pacific Division) Anaheim, California; Friday, 5 p. m. Nashville Predators (14-14-5, sixth in the Central Division) vs. Anaheim Ducks (9-22-4, eighth in the Pacific Division)Anaheim, California; Friday, 5 p. m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: The Anaheim Ducks host the Nashville Predators after Adam Henrique scored two goals in the Ducks' 3-2 shootout win against the Vegas Golden Knights. Anaheim has a 9-22-4 record overall and a 6-8-1 record on its home ice. The Ducks lead NHL play with 178 total penalties (averaging 5. 1 per game). Nashville has gone 6-8-2 on the road and 14-14-5 overall. The Predators are 11-4-1 when scoring three or more goals.

Who to watchDefenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker returns to the line-up tonight for the first time since November 19th when he sustained a high ankle sprain against New Jersey. The young defenceman has played in six games this season tallying one assist and a plus/minus of plus one. Bernard-Docker has spent the bulk of his time this season partnered with Thomas Chabot, a chance to learn and grow alongside a player who has been a part of the core defensive identity for the organization for the past several seasons.

Postponed Nashville Predators Games Rescheduled Nashville has only played one home game since the water main break and that

was an overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 29.

They even gathered in their team meeting room, like usual. Predators coach John Hynes said he’d seen video of water pouring through a crumbling ceiling and puddles gathering in that same room. “I’m amazed, ” Hynes said. “… The amount of work that was put in to have everything cleaned up and ready to go has been exceptional. ”He’s right. So were the players. It genuinely didn’t look that bad. Credit Henry and his staff and a lot of workers from a lot of places in this city for such sleight of hand.

An exciting home victory was a nice moment after a trying four days at Bridgestone. Even nicer, perhaps, for staff members was how surprisingly routine the gameday experience had been for the Predators themselves. A lot of work went into that. On Tuesday morning, the Predators were able to do what they'd normally do. Morning skate on the ice. Workouts in the weight room.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks Live Game Thread They will look to end the year on a strong note when they return home to

take on the Nashville Predators on New Year's Eve. Aidan Champion.

Game Day Five: Senators at Capitals, Dec. 29The Senators hit the road for a rematch in short order with the Washington CapitalsThe set-upFor the second time in the last three games the Senators will take on Washington, though this time on their home ice. The Senators have taken three points in the two games these two have played this season, winning at home early and then Washington taking the last game in overtime at Canadian Tire Centre. As the Senators are well aware, Washington is no slouch winning 10 of their last 11 games, propelling them to the fifth best record in the Eastern Conference.

Talbot faced 51 shots stopping 49 of them, the most saves made in a win in Senators history. Of those 51 shots, Talbot saw 27 in the third period alone stopping 26 of them, making acrobatic save after save in a herculean effort to keep the Senators in the game. When it came time for overtime and the shootout, the Capitals couldn't best Talbot as he stopped every single shot he faced. In the last two games Talbot has saved 86 of the 91 shots that he's faced, good for a 0. 945% save percentage, and a massive part of the reason the Senators have gotten three points in those last two games. Look for Talbot to continue the brick wall performance he's put on of late here tonight.

Normalcy for Nashville Predators, but Bridgestone Arena flood recovery will be long | EstesActually, it’s not that bad. That’s what the Nashville Predators thought when they returned Tuesday morning for gameday at Bridgestone Arena, pleasantly surprised that their ground-floor areas, more or less, were as they’d left them before the water invaded. “The restoration crews and everybody involved did a heck of a job cleaning up, ” said forward Colton Sissons. “I thought it was going to be a lot worse walking in here today. ”“I think there’s some water hiding where we can’t see it, ” added forward Matt Duchene, “but it’s nice that our (locker) room is virtually the same as it was.

Friday's game is the fifth time these teams meet this season. The Predators won the last meeting 2-1 in overtime. TOP PERFORMERS: Troy Terry has 12 goals and 17 assists for the Ducks. Mason McTavish has two goals and five assists over the last 10 games. Filip Forsberg has scored 10 goals with 16 assists for the Predators. Nino Niederreiter has two goals and four assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Ducks: 4-5-1, averaging two goals, 3. 4 assists, 5.

Game Day Five: Ducks vs Senators, Dec. 12 - Ottawa The Senators are back at Canadian Tire Centre hosting the Anaheim Ducks for

their second and final meeting this year. The

Ottawa Senators Triumph Over Nashville Predators 3-2 The Sens are back home Monday, Dec. 12th, for a 7:30 PM EST game against

the last-place Anaheim Ducks. Let's see if they can score a

Marner runs point streak to 23 games, Maple Leafs blank Ducks ... 23 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 7-0 win against the Anaheim

Ducks NHL All-Star Weekend, to be hosted by the Florida Panthers at FLA