Predators at Wild
The Nashville Predators didn't miss a beat when they returned from a season-high seven-game road trip. After cruising to a 3-0 triumph, the Predators will vie for their fifth consecutive win on Saturday when they hit the road again to visit the Minnesota Wild. Pekka Rinne highlighted his 26th career shutout on Thursday by recording 20 of his 32 saves in the second period to blank the Los Angeles Kings.
Coach Barry Trotz's club began its lengthy road trip on Jan. 22 by exacting a bit of revenge against former Predators defenseman Ryan Suter with a 3-1 win over the Wild. That setback was the first of six losses in the last eight contests (2-5-1) for Minnesota. The low-scoring Wild, who have dropped four straight to Nashville, mustered just one goal in their third consecutive outing en route to a 4-1 loss to Vancouver on Thursday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSTN (Nashville), FSNO (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (5-2-3): Martin Erat scored in the teams' initial meeting and collected a goal and two assists during Tuesday's lopsided 6-1 victory over Central Division rival St. Louis. The 31-year-old Czech shares the team lead with Colin Wilson in goals (three), assists (four) and points (seven). Wilson secured his second career two-goal performance on Thursday, but the Connecticut native has tallied just once in 10 career meetings with Minnesota.
ABOUT THE WILD (4-5-1): Suter inked a 13-year, $98 million deal with Minnesota in July. The talented blue-liner, who finished with a minus-2 in the teams' initial contest, is minus-7 on the campaign and still searching for his first goal. Niklas Backstrom has been the unfortunate recipient of a lack of offense during all three games of the team's losing skid. The Finn turned aside 23 shots against Nashville to fall to 7-5-1 in his career versus the Music City representatives.
OVERTIME
1. Rinne has flustered the Wild, posting an 8-3-1 mark with three shutouts in his career. The Vezina Trophy finalist has stopped 112 of his last 115 shots while registering a 0.74 goals-against average in his last four games.
2. Minnesota RW Dany Heatley collected 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists) in 18 career games versus Nashville. He scored in the teams' last meeting.
3. Predators captain Shea Weber notched his first point of the season with an assist on Wilson's second goal.