Oilers at Predators
The Nashville Predators remained perfect on the road with an overtime win at New Jersey on Thursday, but they will look to extend a more impressive streak in a Saturday matinee against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. The Predators have not lost to the Oilers in four-plus seasons, winning 13 meetings in a row - including a 3-0 victory at Edmonton on Oct. 20.
Filip Forsberg scored his seventh goal of the season during a power play to send Thursday's game into overtime before Kyle Turris netted the winner. "We're 8-2-0 and pretty happy with that," Turris told reporters. "There's always going to be things you can improve on as a team, and individually, and everybody's working on that, but we're pretty happy." The Oilers halted a two-game slide and capped a 2-1-1 homestand with perhaps their best performance of the season in a 4-1 thrashing of defending Stanley Cup champion Washington. "It's definitely a confidence boost," Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins told reporters. "To keep a team like that to one goal is a good sign for our club."
TV: 3 p.m. ET, Sportsnet West (Edmonton), FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE OILERS (4-3-1): Nugent-Hopkins, a center for much of his career, is flourishing on captain Connor McDavid's line as he has amassed 11 points in his last six games after scoring one goal and setting up another against Washington. Cam Talbot has been in the crease in all eight games this season, but backup Mikko Koskinen will get the nod against Nashville. "It's a scenario that's going to be a challenge for him," coach Todd McLellan told reporters. "Our team hasn't had much success there, and we'll try a different goaltender and hopefully come out with a win."
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (8-2-0): Starting netminder Pekka Rinne, who has missed the last three games with a leg injury, was a full participant in Friday's practice and is eligible to come off injured reserve on Saturday, but coach Peter Laviolette was non-committal. "Anytime a player starts to work himself into our practice, those are always steps in the right direction," Laviolette told reporters. "We weren’t going to rush 'Peks' back, no matter what." Juuse Saros turned aside 31 shots at Edmonton last weekend to register his first shutout of the season and fifth career.
OVERTIME
1. Predators RW Viktor Arvidsson has scored four goals in his last three games, including one versus Edmonton.
2. McDavid has collected three tallies and seven points in nine career contests against Nashville.
3. Forsberg has registered five goals and 11 points in 12 meetings with the Oilers.