Predators at Coyotes
Mike Ribeiro and the Nashville Predators look to continue their respective hot streaks when they visit the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. Ribeiro set up a pair of goals as Nashville skated to a 3-0 triumph over Colorado on Tuesday for its sixth win in eight games. The 34-year-old, who has scored three goals and set up four others in his last five contests, also had a tally and an assist in the Predators' 4-3 shootout victory over his former team in visiting Arizona on Oct. 21.
The Coyotes are trending in the opposite direction after suffering their third straight loss and sixth in seven games (1-5-1) with a 5-2 setback to Boston on Saturday. Mikkel Boedker showed flashes of shedding his slump by scoring his second goal in four games against the Bruins after the 24-year-old Dane had been kept off the scoresheet in five of his previous six contests. Arizona has lost the first two contests of its five-game homestand to drop to 4-7-2 at Gila River Arena.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (18-7-2): While Filip Forsberg scored to continue his impressive season, the rookie continued to marvel at Pekka Rinne after the veteran goaltender turned aside 26 shots to record his NHL-leading 18th victory on Tuesday. "I don't think I have any more words to use for him," Forsberg said of Rinne, who owns an 11-6-1 career mark versus the Coyotes. "He's just unbelievable. ... He's huge for us every game, and I'm so happy to have him on our team." Veteran Paul Gaustad aggravated a lower-body injury against the Avalanche and did not practice on Wednesday.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (10-15-3): Mike Smith isn't pleased with his team's current standing, and the goaltender wasn't shy about hitting close to home with the roster. "It starts with the best players that we have - the players that are paid the most to be difference-makers in games - and until our best players are our best players every single night, we're going to be struggling," Smith said. Arizona is expected to receive a boost as David Moss returns to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 23 after being sidelined with a hand injury.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville is 0-for-27 on the power play in its last eight games but has killed off 21-of-22 short-handed situations in that span.
2. Arizona recalled D David Schlemko from Portland of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
3. The Predators are 6-1-1 against Pacific Division representatives.