Predators at Blue Jackets
The Nashville Predators have all the ingredients to contend for their first Stanley Cup title: a capable offense, a shutdown defenseman in captain Shea Weber and an elite goaltender in Pekka Rinne. Nashville tries for its third straight victory when it begins a five-game road trip Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rinne is coming off arguably his best game of the season — a 38-save performance in Tuesday's 3-2 win over Anaheim for the Predators' third victory in four games.
Nashville, though, won't have it easy as Columbus — after a 3-0 loss in Ottawa on Thursday — is 7-5-0 since losing its first eight games and 7-6-0 since John Tortorella took over as coach. "They’re playing well right now, and they’re playing with confidence,” Predators coach Peter Laviolette told reporters about the Blue Jackets. “... They just maybe lost their way a little bit at the beginning and sometimes that happens. I think every team goes through it through the course of the year; they just hit their rough patch right at the beginning. It’s going to be a good test for us.” Nashville has 11 wins and points in 14 of its 17 games, but that's only good for third in the rugged Central Division. Rinne (10-2-3, 2.10 goals against average, .921 save percentage) is expected to make his seventh straight start in goal.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee, FSN Ohio
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (11-3-3): Miikka Salomaki scored his second career goal in his eighth game Tuesday and was promoted to the top line at Thursday's practice, joining Mike Ribeiro and James Neal, and the 208-pound Finland native isn't afraid to throw his weight around. "I’ve always been like that since I started hockey; it’s just how I play, and I’m not going to change it,” Salomaki told reporters. “I like the physical game and if the (opposition) comes after me, I just like it. I just enjoy it when people come after me and try to hit me and things like that.” Neal has scored in two straight games and has team highs of nine goals and 15 points.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (7-13-0): Columbus on Thursday was shut out for the second time this season and is 0-for-7 on the power play in its last two games after going 5-for-11 in its previous three contests. Brandon Saad, the Blue Jackets' key offseason acquisition, has a team-leading nine goals while Scott Hartnell has eight tallies and a team-best 14 points, and Ryan Johansen has a team-high 11 assists. Sergei Bobrovsky (7-9-0, 3.18 goals against average, .894 save percentage) is 5-1-0, 2.01, .934 in November and is expected to start in goal after backup Curtis McElhinney fell to 0-4-0 on Thursday.
OVERTIME
1. Weber missed practice Thursday to be with his wife for the birth of their second child and is expected to join the team in Columbus on Friday.
2. Columbus is 1-4-0 in the second contest of back-to-back games, winning their last such contest 5-2 over Arizona at home Saturday after a road win in Pittsburgh.
3. Nashville won both meetings last season, including 5-1 in Columbus behind a pair of goals by Craig Smith.