Oilers at Predators
The Nashville Predators opened a successful six-game road trip with a decisive win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Predators will get a chance to repeat the feat in their own building Tuesday night as they entertain the Oilers in a Western Conference tussle. Nashville defeated Edmonton 4-1 on Oct. 29 en route to a 4-2-0 road trip, while the Oilers struggled to a four-game skid but have bounced back nicely with road wins over Buffalo and the New York Rangers.
Edmonton has leaned on backup netminder Viktor Fasth over the previous two games, and he has rewarded the club with 50 saves on 53 shots to even its record to 2-2-0 on the first four contests of the five-game road trip. Benoit Pouliot thrived in his return to New York on Sunday, scoring once and adding an assist as he takes over for Taylor Hall on the Oilers' top line. Edmonton will be in tough against a Predators team allowing fewer than two goals per game.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, SNW (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE OILERS (6-8-1): Pouliot's big night against his former team not only ended a five-game point drought, it also gave linemate Jordan Eberle a golden opportunity to poke fun at the injured Hall. "I was joking," Eberle told the Edmonton Journal, "but I said to him, 'I don't know if you're going to be on a line when you come back.'" Discipline has played a major role in the Oilers' improved performance of late, as they have been short-handed just twice in their past two games - and killed off both disadvantages.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (9-3-2): Like any team, Nashville would rather not have to rally for wins - but so far this season, it has done it so much more effectively than it did in 2013-14. The Predators came back to beat St. Louis on Saturday night and, in the process, improved to 3-2-0 when trailing after the first period - leaving them one win shy of their total from last season, when they went 4-20-5 when behind after the opening 20 minutes. "It's just like anything else like last year to this year," forward Eric Nystrom said. "We're a different team."
OVERTIME
1. Edmonton outscored Nashville 13-2 in sweeping the 2013-14 season series.
2. Pouliot has just two assists in seven career games against the Predators.
3. The Oilers are 0-3-0 when trailing after one period this season.