Devils at Predators
The Nashville Predators can establish the longest winning streak in the league this season when they go for their 11th consecutive victory against the visiting New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Owners of the best record in the Western Conference, the Predators are one point behind Tampa Bay in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.
Ryan Johansen score one goal and set up another as Nashville downed Anaheim 4-2 on Thursday night for its 10th win in a row, matching Colorado's run for the best in the NHL this season. "We're just taking it day-by-day and looking at our team game and what we can always be improving on and these wins are obviously nice as they keep coming along," Johansen said. While the Predators have a six-point cushion atop the Central Division, New Jersey is sliding in the opposite direction as it prepares to kick off a six-game road trip. The Devils are holding down one of the wild-card slots in the East but have dropped four of five games and lead ninth-place Florida by three points, with the Panthers having three games in hand.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (34-26-8): Taylor Hall was held off the scoresheet for the first time in 2018 in Thursday's 4-2 loss to Winnipeg, ending a stretch of 26 straight games with a point and his NHL-best 19-game point streak. "It was going to end sometime," said Hall, who missed three games during the streak dating to Jan. 2. "There were some nights on the streak where I didn't play well at all and maybe found a way to get a couple of points." Netminder Cory Schneider has a forgettable streak going, losing 10 straight starts (0-8-2).
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (44-14-9): Goaltender Pekka Rinne has been on a spectacular roll for Nashville, posting eight consecutive victories and recording an 18-1-1 mark with four shutouts in his last 20 starts, including a 3-0 win over New Jersey on Jan. 25. Viktor Arvidsson has amassed seven goals and seven assists over the past 10 games and also had one of each in the victory over the Devils in January. Johansen picked up an assist against New Jersey in the earlier meeting and has collected 16 points in 19 games dating to Feb. 1.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey whiffed on four power plays against Winnipeg after going 7-for-14 over the previous five games.
2. Nashville is 1-for-14 with the man advantage in the last five games.
3. Devils Fs Travis Zajac and Pavel Zacha did not accompany the team to Nashville.