The Nashville Predators will cross the midway point of a four-game road trip and close a back-to-back set on Sunday with a Central Division showdown against the Minnesota Wild.
A Predators win would extend the team’s point streak to 12 games and put Nashville on the plus side of a four-point swing.
Puck drop at Xcel Energy Center is at 2:30 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on TNT/Max, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.
Here’s everything you need to know:
LAST TIME OUT
Kiefer Sherwood netted his first career goal against his hometown team and Kevin Lankinen made 34 saves as the Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 2-1, at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.
The result extended Nashville’s point streak to 11 games (10-0-1) and established the third-longest point streak in franchise history.
Sherwood’s first-period goal was his eighth of the season and established a career high.
Connecting with Mark Jankowski for the second straight game, Luke Evangelista scored his first game-winning goal of the season and matched a career-high three-game point streak (2g-1a). In his 63rd game of the season, the Predators rookie additionally reached the 30-point mark (13g-17a) for the first time in his career; he is now fifth among NHL rookies in goals and tied for sixth in points.
Trade deadline acquisitions Anthony Beauvillier and Jason Zucker made their Predators debuts on Saturday and each recorded three shots on goal, as well as 14:31 and 14:16 of total ice time, respectively.
Nashville’s 49 shots on goal against the Blue Jackets established a season high and matched the franchise record for the eighth-most SOG from the Predators in a single game, established Oct. 9, 2010 vs. the Anaheim Ducks.
Lankinen moved to 6-1-0 in his last seven starts and 9-4-0 on the campaign; the Predators improved to 37-25-3 on the campaign and 19-10-2 on the road.
THE GOOD GUYS
Filip Forsberg leads the Predators in points (67) and goals (33); the forward is 10th among NHL skaters in goals.
Roman Josi leads his team and is fifth among League blueliners in assists (47); he is tied for second among NHL defensemen in goals (15).
With Lankinen receiving the start on Saturday, Juuse Saros will likely close the back-to-back set on Sunday.
Saros is 27-21-3 after 51 appearances, with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage; he is 7-0-1 in his last eight starts and posted a 1.75 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage during that span.
Nashville is fourth in the Central Division with 77 points; the Predators currently hold the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot.
THE OTHER GUYS
Six points out of a Wild Card spot, the Wild enter Sunday’s contest desperate to collect two points and inch closer to a postseason berth.
Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in points (68) and goals (30). Mats Zuccarello leads his team in assists (42).
Rookies Brock Faber (37) and Marco Rossi (33) are second and third among NHL rookies in points. Faber leads all League rookies in assists (31), while Rossi shares the lead in goals (17) with No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard.
Filip Gustavsson is 17-15-4 after 38 appearances, including a 1-2-0 record against the Predators this season; he’s recorded a 3.26 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage this season.
Marc-Andre Fleury is 13-11-3 after 28 appearances, with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 46-28-(5)-9 all-time against the Wild, including an 18-18-(3)-4 record on the road. This is the fourth and final matchup between Nashville and Minnesota in 2023-24; it is the second and final game at Xcel Energy Center.
Nashville is 2-1-0 against Minnesota this season, most recently earning a 6-1 win at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 29. The Predators also won the first meeting in St. Paul, 3-2, on Jan. 25. The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Wild; they are 7-2-1 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five on the road.
The Predators have won 14 of their last 18 games vs. the Wild, a stretch that included a seven-game win streak from March 27, 2018-Oct. 24, 2019. Nashville allowed two-or-fewer goals in six of those seven wins.
NOTABLES VS. MINNESOTA
- Josi has 38 points (16g-22a) in 43 career games against Minnesota. He has points in 11 of his last 12 games vs. the Wild (11g-7a), including a nine-game point streak from Oct. 3, 2019-Feb. 19, 2023 (8g-5a).
- Forsberg scored his first career NHL goal on Oct. 8, 2013 vs. Minnesota. Forsberg’s 18 goals against the Wild are tied for the most he’s scored against a single opponent in his NHL career.
- Ryan McDonagh (St. Paul, Minn.) was named Minnesota’s “Mr. Hockey” as the state’s best high school player in 2006-07.
- Tommy Novak (St. Paul, Minn.) played four years for the University of Minnesota from 2015-19, winning back-to-back regular-season Big Ten titles in 2016 and 2017.
- Cole Smith is a native of Brainerd, Minn., and played three seasons for Brainerd High School from 2011-14.
- Gustav Nyquist played three regular-season games and five playoff contests for Minnesota in 2022-23.
- Head Coach Andrew Brunette played six seasons for the Wild from 2001-04 and 2008-11, posting 321 points (119g-202a) in 489 games. He also previously served as an assistant coach (2014-16); special assistant to the GM (2016-17); assistant general manager (2017-18); and director of player personnel (2018-19) for Minnesota.
- Assistant Coach Todd Richards served as head coach of the Wild for two seasons from 2009-11.
- Wild Head Coach John Hynes served in the same role for the Predators for parts of four seasons from 2020-23.
- Minnesota forwards Frederick Gaudreau (2016-19) and Ryan Hartman (2018-19) were previous members of the Predators.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Colton Sissons is three points from 200 in his NHL career.
- Luke Schenn is three points from 200 in his NHL career.
- Jankowski is four points from 100 in his NHL career.
WATCH & LISTEN
Sunday’s game will be broadcast exclusively on TNT/Max starting at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Pete Weber and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)
