Blues at Predators
The St. Louis Blues quickly have benefited from the acquisition of Ryan Miller - but perhaps not as much as the deal helped the goaltender since he came over in a trade with Buffalo. Miller has watched his new team erase two-goal deficits to win his first two starts, a rare occurrence during his final two seasons with the punchless Sabres. The Blues go for their third consecutive victory and look to maintain their lead atop the Central Division when they visit the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
Nashville continues to see its postseason hopes slip away after suffering consecutive 3-1 home losses to Pittsburgh and Winnipeg to drop to 1-3-2 in its last six games. Although the Predators are only six points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, they may have raised the white flag by sending David Legwand - the franchise's all-time leading scorer - to Detroit at Wednesday's trade deadline. Nashville also dealt backup netminder Devan Dubnyk to Montreal.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE BLUES (41-14-6): Offense was a major issue for St. Louis afer coming out on the short end of consecutive 1-0 shutouts to close out February, but those concerns have been allayed following a four-goal third period against Phoenix and four unanswered tallies in Tuesday's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. Coach Ken Hitchcock said Miller's presence in net during the stirring comebacks hardly was coincidental. "His disposition and the way he carries himself has a professionalism to it that I think over time just rubs off on everybody," Hitchcock said. "The way he carries himself has a positive effect on everybody."
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (26-26-10): Pekka Rinne made 16 saves in his first game since Oct. 22, but his return was overshadowed by the trading of Legwand, who had a team-high 40 points this season and leaves as Nashville's career leader in games played (956), goals (210), assists (356) and points (566). Legwand, the first draft pick in franchise history, was dealt for Patrick Eaves, highly touted prospect Calle Jarnkrok and a third-round draft pick. General manager David Poile released a statement calling Legwand a "pillar of this organization" and one of the franchise's "most unforgettable players."
OVERTIME
1. The Blues have won four straight against Nashville, including all three meetings this season.
2. Dubnyk, acquired from Edmonton in January, made only two starts for the Predators, going 0-1-1 while allowing nine goals.
3. Blues C Patrik Berglund has three goals in the last two games after failing to score in the previous 16.