On the Backcheck: The Preds, adversity, and playing the full 60

Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty ImagesThe Setup

The Nashville Predators were making a quick New Year’s Day stop at home to play the Chicago Blackhawks after two games on the road (a regulation loss against Washington and an overtime shootout loss to Columbus). After the one-game homestand, the team heads back out on the road for a West Coast road trip.

Before the game, it was announced that both Roman Josi and Colton Sissons would be returning to the lineup after a brief stint in COVID protocol, while Dante Fabbro was added to the list. This made Tommy Novak and Dante Fabbro the only two players on the COVID list. Prior to the reimplementation of the taxi squad, the Predators thrived…