Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Nashville

The essentials

The opponent

After seeing their 15-game points streak come to an end Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Nashville Predators come to town looking to improve on their 14-1-1 stretch since Feb. 19.
The game marks the front half of back-to-back games inside the division for the Predators, who travel to Winnipeg for a contest against the second-place Jets on Sunday.
Nashville and MInnesota will meet for the fifth and final time during the regular season on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.
Each team has been successful on home ice in three previous meetings this season, with the Wild winning 6-4 on Nov. 16 -- thanks to Mikael Granlund's hat trick -- and 4-2 on Dec. 29 at Xcel Energy Center and the Preds scoring a 3-0 win at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 30.
Nashville is led offensively by Viktor Arvidsson, who has 27 goals and 56 points this season. Kevin Fiala has 23 goals and 45 points, and Filip Forsberg has 21 goals and 53 points in just 59 games.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne is in the midst of a Vezina Trophy-caliber campaign, with a 40-10-4 record to go with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.

Connections

• Wild forward Matt Cullen registered 64 points (17-47=64) in 139 games with the Predators in two seasons (2013-15).
• Wild defenseman Ryan Suter was selected seventh overall by Nashville in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and scored 238 points (38-200=238) and 396 penalty minutes in 542 games before signing with the Wild as a free agent (7/4/12). Suter ranks third on Nashville's all-time list in plus-minus rating (plus-43), fifth in assists and games played and tied for 11th in points.
• Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk went 0-1-1 with a 4.35 goals-against average and a .850 save percentage in two starts with Nashville (2013-14).

Tough sledding

After four days without games, the Wild begins a stretch Saturday where its final nine games of the regular season will take place in a 15-day span, including two sets of back-to-back games with no more than one day between games.
In eight of those nine games, the Wild faces a Western Conference opponent, including two games each against Central Division rivals Nashville and Dallas.
Minnesota's opponents in its final nine games include seven teams in playoff position or the playoff hunt: Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose.

Going green

The Wild
will celebrate 'Green Night'
on Saturday in conjunction with the NHL's month-long NHL Green initiative and globally-celebrated Earth Hour. From 8:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. CT, the large Xcel Energy Center sign on the building's exterior and marquees across the complex will be turned off. The game will feature various "green" in-game elements -- including a
player PSA
discussing the organizations' sustainability initiatives -- and fans can use a
free trip via Metro Transit
to and from the game.
The Wild has encouraged fans to wear green and use the hashtag #NHLGreen on social media. From 11 a.m. CT through the end of the second period, those who post a photo of themselves wearing green using #NHLGreen and @XcelEnergyCtr to Twitter will be entered to win a green Wild jersey autographed by forward Charlie Coyle.
The Wild organization and the venues it manages have sought to become a top green destination in the sports, entertainment and events industry. Its complex is the only in the world to be certified by LEED, Green Globes and APEX/ASTM. The Wild organization and its campus is at the forefront of environmentally friendly practices, including recycling and compost programs, and the use of solar and wind power.
Related:
- Wild eager to get back to game action - Wild keeps eye on standings but taking destiny into its own hands