Gaudreau left a 5-2 win against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday for evaluation under NHL concussion protocol after he was hit by defenseman Charlie McAvoy at 8:29 of the third period. Gaudreau, who has two goals in his past two games and nine points (three goals, six assists) in six games this season, did not return. The Flames have won two straight games and are 4-1-0 in their past five. Nashville will try for its fourth straight win since a 3-0 loss to Calgary on Oct. 9. The Predators have outscored opponents 12-4 during the winning streak.
Players to watch
Predators center Ryan Johansen has five points (one goal, four assists) during a three-game point streak. Flames center Sean Monahan, who will play his 400th NHL game, has seven points (four goals, three assists) in six games.
They said it
"I think we've been playing better and better. The first three games were a little up and down. After that we've been playing more solid hockey for longer periods of time. At the same time it's still fairly early in the season. There's lots of things we can work on." -- Predators forward Filip Forsberg "We're playing well right now. We have a lot of lines contributing offensively, goaltending is playing well and defense is doing a great job. We're coming together nicely as a team here. It's nice to watch."-- Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau
Dube will return to the lineup after missing one game because of a lower-body injury. ... Czarnik will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season.
Stat pack
Forsberg has four points (three goals, one assist) during a three-game point streak. ... Arvidsson has five points (three goals, two assists) in his past five games. ... Tkachuk has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in six games. …Lindholm has six points (four goals, two assists) in his past five games.
