Wild at Predators
The Minnesota Wild have been riding the hot play of netminder Devan Dubnyk to Western Conference playoff relevance - and they'll need him at his best Thursday against a team that has victimized them of late. Dubnyk makes his 19th consecutive start as the Wild kick off a two-game road trip against the West-leading Nashville Predators. The Wild have won 13 of 18 since acquiring Dubnyk, though they're coming off a 2-1 defeat against Edmonton.
Dubnyk may be the Wild's late-season savior, but Nashville has a solid option of its own between the pipes. Veteran netminder Pekka Rinne remains at the front of the Vezina Trophy race, sporting a 35-8-3 record with a 2.01 goals-against average and a sensational .930 save percentage. The Predators have dominated the head-to-head series since last April, reeling off three consecutive victories over Minnesota while scoring 16 times over that stretch.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN
ABOUT THE WILD (31-22-7): Minnesota added some veteran savvy earlier this week, acquiring forward Sean Bergenheim from the Florida Panthers for a third-round pick in the 2016 draft. Bergenheim, who was piling up the healthy scratches with the Panthers, told reporters he believes he has plenty to offer Minnesota in its quest for a playoff berth. "I want to bring energy, I want to bring forechecking, I want to bring pressure in the offensive zone," Bergenheim said. "I want to get the pucks to the net, get myself to the net, and hopefully score some goals for this team."
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (41-13-7): Two defensemen have earned the bulk of the attention on the Nashville blue line: captain Shea Weber and the up-and-coming Seth Jones. But Roman Josi has emerged as one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, recording an assist in Tuesday's victory over Colorado to increase his season point total to a career-high 44. "He deserves all the recognition he can get," Rinne said following the game. "He's an amazing player and I think he proves that every night on the ice."
OVERTIME
1. Rinne enters Thursday just two victories shy of 200 for his NHL career.
2. Josi has two goals and two assists in his last three games against the Wild.
3. Minnesota has won six straight games after scoring two goals or fewer in the previous contest.