Rangers at Predators
The New York Rangers will spend at least the next three weeks without the services of their franchise goaltender, while their next game will pit them against a team that knows the tale all too well. With Henrik Lundqvist sidelined with a vascular injury, the Rangers vie for their fourth consecutive victory and 20th in 25 games when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon. The Predators spent precisely three weeks without two-time Vezina Trophy finalist Pekka Rinne, who yielded four goals in his return from a knee injury en route to a 5-2 setback to Anaheim on Thursday.
The loss to the league-leading Ducks was Nashville's first at Bridgestone Arena since a 3-1 defeat against Chicago on Dec. 6, ending the Predators' franchise-record home winning streak at nine games. Lundqvist suffered his injury last weekend after being struck in the neck with a shot by Carolina's Brad Malone, but he remained in that contest to pace the Rangers to a 4-1 triumph and also made 33 saves in a 6-3 win over Florida on Monday. Backup Cam Talbot drew the start two nights later, turning aside 18 shots in New York's 3-2 victory over Boston.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (30-15-4): Talbot fared well in his lone appearance versus the Predators, stopping all 17 shots he faced in a 2-0 win in Nashville on Nov. 23, 2013. "He's going to be the starter on Saturday, and he is focused on that," coach Alain Vigneault said, according to Blueshirtsunited.com. "That's where his mind has to be, on the moment, it has to be on the present. His last five, six games, he's been playing extremely well. He's definitely picked up his level of play." New York recalled Mackenzie Skapski from Connecticut of the American Hockey League on Friday to serve as Talbot's backup, which he also did versus the Bruins.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (33-12-6): Colin Wilson has scored in back-to-back games to secure a career-high mark of 17 goals, tying him with James Neal and rookie Filip Forsberg for the team lead. Forsberg has collected two tallies and five assists in his last seven games to improve his team-leading point total to 46. Mike Ribeiro, who has set up a team-high 33 goals, needs one point to reach 700 for his career.
OVERTIME
1. New York LW Rick Nash has recorded four goals and an assist in his last three games and netted his team's lone tally - and his 600th career point - in a 4-1 loss to Nashville on Dec. 10, 2013.
2. Predators C Paul Gaustad notched a goal and two assists in the last meeting between the clubs but has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last 14 contests.
3. Rangers LW Chris Kreider has recorded a goal and two assists during his three-game point streak but did not dent the scoresheet in either career meeting with the Predators.