Routine game day morning skate today at Joe Louis Arena. Not too much to glean about lines; Preds coaches and players were coy about any potential lineup and line changes. Based on conversation it sounds like Jordin Tootoo is likely out of the lineup tonight, probably with Matt Halischuk back in, but that appears to be a game time decision. As for line combinations, Coach Trotz said he might use the pairings from practice yesterday or might start with the same lines as Games 1 and 2 with option to switch later in the game if necessary, but he did mention that the potential reconfigured lines gives the team a little more balance through all four forward combinations.

Defensively, Hal Gill skated with the team again. Coach Trotz termed it a very good, very positive showing by Gill, but said he will not be in the lineup tonight. Coach would not tip his hand to whether Ryan Ellis or Jack Hillen would be in the lineup as the sixth defenseman.

The theme of the media sessions was desperation level and emotion. The expectation is Detroit will play a very desperate game tonight and try to set the tone early with a quick start. Nashville's players and coaches recognize the importance of weathering the opening salvo by the Wings and staying within the team system. Players talked about learning from the experiences the last two years --- in '10 vs Chicago when Nashville held a two games to one lead and again last year vs. Anaheim when the Preds again held the 2-1 series lead --- as to how high Nashville needs to bring its game tonight.

Check back for video interviews from this morning...