Prior to Tuesday's game, the Preds announced defenseman Ryan Ellis (upper-body, 4-6 weeks) and forward Luke Kunin (lower-body, 2-4 weeks) had been placed on injured reserve. Forward Ryan Johansen was placed on the NHL's COVID protocol list and missed Tuesday's game. Additionally, Predators goaltender Juuse Saros, who left Tuesday's game following the first period, did not practice on Wednesday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Injuries are inevitable over the course of an NHL season - especially one with a truncated schedule - and at the moment the Predators are dealing with their most significant bout of absences in 2021.