Pekka Rinne will start for Nashville, which has won seven straight games in Edmonton since a 5-1 loss on March 18, 2014. Mike Smith will make his fifth start in the past six games for Edmonton, which is playing the first of a four-game homestand following a five-game road trip (3-1-1). Edmonton is 5-3-1 in its past nine games after being 1-5-1 in its previous seven.
Players to watch
Predators defenseman Roman Josie has 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in his past 13 games. Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl has nine points (three goals, six assists) in a six-game point streak.
They said it
"Over the course of this past week it's been really good to be able to get to know everybody and get a feel for what's going on and the kind of players that we have here."-- Predators coach John Hynes "They're a solid group all around and they've given us trouble, especially in this building. We have to find a way to get a win here." -- Oilers center Connor McDavid on the Predators
Kassian will serve the first of a two-game suspension for an altercation with Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk in a 4-3 loss on Saturday. … Trenin will play his sixth straight game since being recalled from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League on Dec. 28. He has four points (one goal, three assists) in five games. … Khaira will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game. … Patrick Russell will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the past six games.
Stat pack
Ekholm has four assists in his past five games. … Nugent-Hopkins has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his past six games. … McDavid has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his past nine games.
