Predators at Blues
The St. Louis Blues have lost only once in the past three weeks but get a chance to avenge that defeat when they host the Nashville Predators on Thursday in the second matchup between the teams in six days. The Blues are 8-1-0 over their past nine games and sit one point behind Central Division-leading Nashville, which posted a 2-1 victory in St. Louis on Saturday. That allowed the Predators to halt a seven-game overall winning streak by the Blues and end their string of six straight losses to St. Louis.
Nashville extended its winning streak to a season-high three games with a 3-2 win over Edmonton on Tuesday, the fourth time in five games it has allowed two goals or fewer. The Blues rebounded from Saturday's loss by demolishing Buffalo 6-1 on Tuesday, but the Predators remain optimistic heading into the rematch. “I don’t think they were happy the way they played against us and we know that team is going to be ready,” Predators forward Olli Jokinen said. “At the same time, we feel confident here going into any building."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (10-3-2): Rookie Filip Forsberg is on a white-hot tear, scoring six times during a five-game goal-scoring streak while extending his point string to six games. Linemate Mike Ribeiro matched Forsberg with a goal and an assist Tuesday to give him points in 11 of his last 13 games and, along with James Neal - who scored the game-winner in Saturday's victory over St. Louis - the trio has accounted for 42 points. “There is an open-door policy to go to the offensive zone and create havoc,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “The (Forsberg-Ribeiro-Neal) line seems to have it going on right now."
ABOUT THE BLUES (10-4-1): St. Louis can more than match the firepower of Nashville's top unit with its "STL" line of Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and rookie Jori Lehtera, who erupted for his first hat trick in Tuesday's victory. Tarasenko has amassed 10 points during a six-game string while Schwartz collected three assists Tuesday to run his point streak to four games. “They played the right way,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “That’s the part I’m happiest about. ... It was gratifying for us because they’re creating offense, doing the things we’re trying to engrain into the whole group here.”
OVERTIME
1. Forsberg is one shy of the franchise record for longest goal-scoring streak held by Patric Hornqvist (2011), Alexander Radulov (2008) and J.P. Dumont (2008).
2. Blues G Jake Allen, who will make his first start against Nashville, has a pair of shutouts during a three-game win streak.
3. Predators G Pekka Rinne had yielded six goals during his four-game winning streak.