Predators at Coyotes
A pair of three-win teams -- and division cellar dwellers -- will square off on Thursday when the Nashville Predators pay a visit to the Arizona Coyotes. It will mark the finale of a five-game road trip for the Predators, who earned their first win on the trek with an impressive 5-1 victory at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
Nashville closed out October with seven losses in eight games before matching its season-high goal total in Colorado, but coach Peter Laviolette is making sure his team doesn't get too complacent. "We've still got work to do," Laviolette said. "We've got one game left on the road trip. Go get a win in Arizona and it'll be a big ending to a trip that didn't start the way we wanted." The Coyotes also are coming off their most impressive effort of the season, edging reigning Western Conference finalist San Jose 3-2 in just their third home game of the season. Arizona has struggled against the Predators in recent years, with a 4-0 home victory last January accounting for its only win in the last eight matchups.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Arizona
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (3-6-1): Goaltender Pekka Rinne has surrendered at least three goals in four consecutive games before turning aside 28 shots against the Avalanche to earn his first win since Oct. 14 and quiet his critics. "There's obviously a lot of room for improvement, but for the most part, I've been feeling good and feeling good on the ice, confident. And that's a good thing," said Rinne, who will turn 34 Thursday. Rinne has six shutouts versus Arizona, his most against any opponent.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (3-6-0): Arizona has a beleaguered netminder of its own in Louis Domingue, who has been forced to carry the workload since starter Mike Smith was injured in the second game of the season. Domingue was dented for at least three goals in each of his first seven appearances before a season-high 39-save effort against the Sharks on Tuesday. "I’ve been feeling good for almost all year, so it was just a matter of being focused for 60 minutes and getting the job done," Domingue said.
OVERTIME
1. Predators F Filip Forsberg collected a pair of assists to give him seven on the season, but he's still seeking his first goal.
2. Coyotes F Lawson Crouse, a first-round pick in 2015, notched his first NHL goal and point Tuesday night.
3. Predators captain Mike Fisher did not practice Wednesday and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.