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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Minnesota Wild heads to Music City tonight to challenge the Predators. The Wild holds a two-game losing streak going into tonight's match, having fallen to Vegas last Sunday and again to the Oilers on Wednesday. Now, the Wild takes the stage in Nashville, hoping to strike the right chord and catch the Predators for the third and final time this season.

Info for Tonight's Game:

Wild Record: 27-14-4, 58 points, 2nd in Central Division

Predators Record: 15-22-7, 37 points, 7th in Central Division

2024-25 Series Record: 2-0-0

All-Time Wild Record: 40-39-12 (15-23-7 at Nashville)

Stats Comparison

Team Stats
NSH
MIN
Power Play
19.8%
19.5%
Penalty Kill
83.1%
70.9%
Faceoff
51.5%
48.3%
Goals For / Games Played
2.45
2.96
Goals Against / Games Played
3.11
2.78

Last Time Out

The Wild was defeated by the Edmonton Oilers, 5-3. LW Matt Boldy started the game with a bang, netting the first goal of the match just three minutes in, assisted by C Joel Eriksson Ek and RW Mats Zuccarello. C Marco Rossi sent the puck to the back of the net next, assisted by Boldy and Zuccarello. Edmonton answered Minnesota's two first period goals with two goals of their own, and the period came to a close. RW Ryan Hartman scored the final Wild goal of the night in the second period assisted by Eriksson Ek, after which Edmonton went on to score three unanswered goals. G Filip Gustavsson saved 31-of-36 shots on goal in the match.

Nashville won in a shootout against Chicago on Thursday night. C Steven Stamkos scored the Predators first goal, followed by two Chicago goals. With just over three minutes remaining in the third period, LW Filip Forsberg scored his 300th career goal to tie the match and take it to overtime. The Preds held off the Hawks in OT, forcing a shootout. C Gustav Nyquist scored the GWG in the shootout.

This Season on Wild vs. Predators

Minnesota won the series-opening contest, 3-2, in overtime in St. Paul (11/30) and the second contest, 5-3, also in St. Paul (12/31).

Rossi leads the Wild with four points (2-2=4) against the Predators this season. Eriksson Ek owns three assists (0-3=3). Gustavsson has started both games for Minnesota and owns a 2-0-0 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .932 SV%.

D Roman Josi (0-2=2), C Ryan O’Reilly (2-0=2), D Brady Skjei (0-2=2) and Stamkos (0-2=2) lead the Predators with two points each. G Juuse Saros saved 25-of-28 shots faced for the Predators in the first game. G Justus Annunen stopped 33-of-38 shots faced in the second game for Nashville.

Wild Leaders Against Preds

  • D Jared Spurgeon (4-13=17 in 42 games) and RW Mats Zuccarello (2-15=17 in 25 games) lead Minnesota with 17 career points each vs. Nashville
  • LW Kirill Kaprizov (6-9=15 in 11 games) and LW Marcus Johansson (2-13=15 in 24 games) each own 15 points against the Predators

Predators Leaders Against Wild

  • Josi leads Nashville with 41 points (16-25=41) in 4 6career games against the Wild
  • O’Reilly has 39 points (20-19=39) in 60 games
  • Forsberg owns 32 points (18-14=32) in 36 games
  • Nyquist has 21 points (6-15=21) in 24 games

Recent Transactions

1/17/25

Recalled F Devin Shore from Iowa

1/16/25

Activated F Jakub Lauko from Injured Reserve

Reassigned F Ben Jones and F Devin Shore to Iowa

Recalled F Brendan Gaunce and F Liam Ohgren from Iowa

Placed F Kirill Kaprizov on Long-Term Injured Reserve

Placed F Marcus Johansson on Injured Reserve

1/9/25

Recalled F Devin Shore from Iowa

1/8/25

Reassigned F Devin Shore to Iowa and recalled D David Jiricek from Iowa

Placed F Jakub Lauko on Long-Term Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 14

1/7/25

Signed G Dylan Ferguson to a one-year, two-way contract

Activated D Jake Middleton from Long-Term Injured Reserv

Reassigned F Travis Boyd, F Brendan Gaunce and D Carson Lambos to Iowa

1/6/25

Recalled F Travis Boyd (emergency), F Brendan Gaunce (emergency) and D Carson Lambos (regular) from Iowa

1/1/25

Recalled F Brendan Gaunce and D Carson Lambos from Iowa

Placed F Kirill Kaprizov on Injured Reserve 

To view recent transactions, visit wild.com/transactions.

On the Mend

Jonas Brodin: lower-body injury (four games missed)

Brock Faber: upper-body injury (four games missed)

Marcus Johansson: concussion (injured reserve)

Kirill Kaprizov: lower-body injury (10 games missed)

Jakub Lauko: lower-body injury (14 games missed - activated from LTIR on 1/16)

Jared Spurgeon: lower-body injury (seven games missed)

Connections

  • Wild Head Coach John Hynes went 134-96-18 in parts of four seasons (2020-23) as Nashville’s Head Coach
  • C Freddy Gaudreau tallied eight points (3- 5=8) in 84 games with Nashville in three seasons (2016-19), while adding four goals (4-0=4) in 12 games during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs
  • C Ryan Hartman recorded 26 points (13-13=26) in 85 games in parts of two seasons with the Predators (2017-19)
  • LW Yakov Trenin was selected by Nashville in the second round (55th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft and recorded 79 points (46-33=79), 162 PIM and six GWG in 283 games with Nashville in five seasons (2019-24)
  • Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette recorded 321 points (119-202=321) in 489 games with the Wild (2001-04, 2008-11). He also spent five seasons in Minnesota’s hockey operations department (2014-19) as an Assistant Coach, Hockey Operations Advisor, Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel
  • Nashville Assistant Coach Todd Richards served as Wild Head Coach for two seasons (2009-11)
  • Nashville Assistant Coach Darby Hendrickson collected 60 points (29-31=60) in 182 games with Minnesota (2000-04) and served as an Assistant Coach with Minnesota for 14 seasons (2010- 24)
  • C Tommy Novak played four seasons at the University of Minnesota (2015-19) and is from St. Paul
  • Nyquist recorded five points (1-4=5) in three regular season games and five points (0-5=5) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games with Minnesota in 2023-24
  • LW Cole Smith is a native of Brainerd
  • Skjei is from Lakeville and played three seasons at the University of Minnesota (2012-15)
  • F Keiffer Bellows is from Edina

Fast Facts

  • Minnesota is 9-4-1 in its last 14 games played against the Predators at Xcel Energy Center dating back to 2/18/17

For more information on today's matchup, check out the game notes below.