Preview: Canucks at Predators

CANUCKS (20-19-3) at PREDATORS (17-16-7)
8 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-TN, NHL.TV

Canucks team scope

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev will be in the lineup against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Tanev left a 3-1 loss at the Calgary Flames on Saturday with an upper-body injury. "He's a key guy, for sure, for us," coach Willie Desjardins said. "I think he's a key guy because he allows other guys to play maybe more in their proper spots. It's not like he can do it all by himself. He can't. He just kind of rounds out our [defense]." The Canucks have won six of their past seven games. Center Henrik Sedin is four points from 1,000 for his NHL career. Forward Bo Horvat on Tuesday was named to the 2017 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 29.

Predators team scope

The Predators are two points behind the Canucks and three behind the Los Angeles Kings, who hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Predators know they need a string of wins to avoid missing the playoffs; six teams are within five points in the race for the two wild-card spots. "We've put ourselves in a position where it's time to get going," defenseman Anthony Bitetto. "There's no more waiting around, it's now. We're too good of a team not to make the playoffs, and I think we've got to have the mindset where we have to earn that playoff spot. We can't just think that it's going to happen." Forward James Neal will miss his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury, and defenseman P.K. Subban will miss his 12th in a row with an upper-body injury. Forward Viktor Arvidsson has missed two games with an upper-body injury and is day to day.

Canucks projected lineup

Daniel Sedin -- Henrik Sedin -- Loui Eriksson
Sven Baertschi -- Bo Horvat -- Alexandre Burrows
Markus Granlund -- Brandon Sutter -- Jayson Megna
Brendan Gaunce -- Michael Chaput -- Jack Skille
Luca Sbisa -- Christopher Tanev
Alexander Edler -- Troy Stecher
Nikita Tryamkin -- Alex Biega
Ryan Miller
Jacob Markstrom
Scratched: Reid Boucher, Andrey Pedan
Injured:Derek Dorsett (neck), Erik Gudbranson (wrist), Jannik Hansen (knee), Ben Hutton (upper body), Anton Rodin (knee)

Predators projected lineup

Filip Forsberg -- Ryan Johansen -- Calle Jarnkrok
Colton Sissons -- Mike Fisher -- Austin Watson
Kevin Fiala -- Mike Ribeiro -- Craig Smith
Harry Zolnierczyk -- Frederick Gaudreau -- Pontus Aberg
Roman Josi -- Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm -- Matt Irwin
Anthony Bitetto -- Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros
Scratched: Vladislav Kamenev
Injured: Viktor Arvidsson (upper body), James Neal (upper body), Miikka Salomaki (lower body), P.K. Subban (upper body), Colin Wilson (undisclosed)

Status report

Miller is expected to start after Jacob Markstrom played in the loss at Calgary. … Rinne is expected to start for the third time in four games. He allowed three goals in a loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Arvidsson and Neal participated in the morning skate but are not expected to play.

Who's hot

Miller is 5-0-0 and has allowed seven goals in his past five starts. He is one win from tying Evgeni Nabokov (353 wins) for 20th on the NHL all-time list. … Fisher has one goal and three assists in his past four games, and is two assists from 300 for his NHL career.