The Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild are set to face off tonight at the Grand Casino Arena at 8:00 PM ET. This is the second time the teams have met this season, with the Wild securing a 3-2 overtime victory in their previous encounter.
Team Records and Recent Performances
The Minnesota Wild hold a 22-10-5 record and are coming off a 5-1 defeat against the Colorado Avalanche, which snapped their seven-game winning streak. Before that loss, the Wild were on a dominant run, averaging 4.4 goals per game and allowing just 2.2.
The Nashville Predators enter the game with a 15-16-4 record. They are on a two-game winning streak, having defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 on Sunday and the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Saturday. Over their last five games, the Predators have gone 3-2-0, averaging three goals per game while conceding 2.8.
Projected Lineups
Here are the projected lineups for tonight's game:
Nashville Predators:
- Forwards: Filip Forsberg — Ryan O'Reilly — Luke Evangelista / Michael Bunting — Erik Haula — Steven Stamkos / Tyson Jost — Fedor Svechkov — Matthew Wood / Reid Schaefer — Michael McCarron — Cole Smith
- Defense: Roman Josi — Nick Perbix / Brady Skjei — Adam Wilsby / Nicolas Hague — Nick Blankenburg
- Goalies: Juuse Saros / Justus Annunen
- Scratched: None
- Injured: Ozzy Wiesblatt (upper body), Justin Barron (lower body), Jonathan Marchessault (lower body)
Minnesota Wild:
- Forwards: Kirill Kaprizov — Ryan Hartman – Mats Zuccarello / Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek — Matt Boldy / Yakov Trenin — Danila Yurov — Vladimir Tarasenko / Marcus Foligno — Nico Sturm – Vinnie Hinostroza
- Defense: Quinn Hughes — Brock Faber / Jonas Brodin — Jared Spurgeon / Jake Middleton — Zach Bogosian
- Goalies: Filip Gustavsson / Jesper Wallstedt
- Scratched: Matt Kierstad, David Jiricek, Tyler Pitlick, Ben Jones
- Injured: Daemon Hunt (lower body)
Goaltending Matchup
Juuse Saros is expected to start in goal for the Predators. This season, he has a 13-11-3 record with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. Filip Gustavsson is likely to start for the Wild, boasting a 12-8-3 record, a 2.47 goals-against average, and a .913 save percentage.
Players to Watch
For the Predators, Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, and Steven Stamkos are key offensive contributors. Keep an eye on Michael Bunting, who has been consistently generating shots on goal. For the Wild, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy lead the team in scoring. Vladimir Tarasenko has historically performed well against Nashville.
Keys to the Game
The Wild will aim to rebound from their recent loss and capitalize on their strong home record. The Predators will look to extend their winning streak and improve their road record. Special teams could play a crucial role, as the Wild need to improve their penalty kill, while the Predators seek to maintain their efficient penalty-killing.
