The Nashville Predators will try to extend their point streak to 12 games in a row when they face off against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday afternoon in St. Paul, Minn.
Nashville will play on short rest after posting a 2-1 victory on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday afternoon. It marked the 11th straight game with at least one point for the Predators, who have gone 10-0-1 since Feb. 17.
Kiefer Sherwood and Luke Evangelista scored for Nashville in its latest win.
“We’re starting to find our rhythm,” Sherwood said. “And I think, obviously you have a new coach, and it takes a little time to adjust, but now we’re rolling. And the good thing is right now, at this time of year, we’re finding ways to win and every night someone else is contributing. So there’s a lot to build on.”
Minnesota has earned at least one point in each of its past three games, going 2-0-1 in that span. The Wild are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss on the road against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
Wild coach John Hynes praised his team for its competitiveness against Colorado, which is a Stanley Cup championship contender. Minnesota dealt away several depth players before the trade deadline but remains hopeful of reaching the playoffs.
“We have to play to a level where we’ve got to make up some ground,” Hynes said. “But you want to put yourself in situations where you can play meaningful games, and we’re still in that situation right now.”
Filip Gustavsson is expected to start in net for Minnesota. The 25-year-old from Sweden is 17-15-4 with a 3.26 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.
In five career games against the Predators, Gustavsson is 2-2-1 with a 3.39 GAA and an .882 save percentage.
Nashville is expected to turn to Juuse Saros between the pipes. He is well rested after watching backup Kevin Lankinen start Saturday at Columbus.
Saros, 28, is 27-21-3 with a 2.83 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 51 starts this season. Against the Wild, Saros is 8-3-0 with a 2.11 GAA and a .934 save percentage in 11 games.
The Predators will play their second game since the addition of Anthony Beauvillier and Jason Zucker, whom they acquired at the trade deadline.
“I thought they were really good (Saturday),” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “They fit right into the relentlessness and the competitiveness on pucks, and they’ve got speed. And I think they’ll get more and more comfortable. They did a lot of good things that didn’t get rewarded, but when you do good things, they’ll get theirs.”
This is the fourth and final regular-season matchup between the teams. Nashville has won two of the first three games.
Minnesota raced to a 6-1 win in Nashville in the teams’ first meeting Nov. 30. The Predators followed with a 3-2 road win Jan. 25 and a 6-1 home win Feb. 29.
–Field Level Media
