Wild Warmup: Minnesota vs. Nashville

The essentials

The opponent

Following a 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 1, the Nashville Predators enter Thursday riding a five-game winning streak. During that stretch, the Predators have scored 23 goals (4.6 goals per game).
The game in St. Paul is Nashville's only one away from Bridgestone Arena in a span of six contests; the Predators defeated Pittsburgh and Washington in the past five days and will head home again to play Colorado, Winnipeg and Montreal before Thanksgiving.
Filip Forsberg leads the Preds with nine goals and 17 points this season; his goal against the Capitals on Tuesday was the 100th of his NHL career. Viktor Arvidsson and Craig Smith each have six goals, while defenseman P.K. Subban has four goals and 12 points.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne has a 9-2-2 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 13 starts.

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 PIM in 542 games before signing with the Wild as a free agent in July of 2012. Suter ranks third on Nashville's all-time list in plus-minus rating (plus-43), fifth in assists and games played and tied for ninth 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).

Shutout streaks

The Wild has posted three straight shutout victories -- its longest win streak this season. Minnesota matches its franchise record of three consecutive shutouts and sits at a team shutout streak of 180 minutes, 31 seconds -- just shy of the team franchise record of 184 minutes, 59 seconds (Oct. 23-Nov. 1, 2016).

Dubnyk enters Thursday's game with a shutout streak of 195 minutes, 5 seconds -- a career high and the longest by an individual Wild goalie in franchise history. He's stopped the last 106 shots he has faced, dating back to the third period in Toronto on Nov. 8. It matches Dubnyk's career high of three consecutive shutout victories (Oct. 25-Nov. 1, 2016). According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 31-year-old is the third goalie in the NHL expansion era (since 1967-68) to post three consecutive shutouts multiple times in his NHL career, joining Brian Elliott (three times) and Roberto Luongo (two times).

Dubnyk's three shutouts lead all NHL goalies this season, and his 18 shutouts since his first game with the Wild on Jan. 15, 2015 lead all NHL goalies in that span.