Predators at Islanders
The Nashville Predators are beginning to find their stride in the Western Conference as the playoffs approach and will make an impact on the East over the next three games, starting with a road contest against the New York Islanders on Monday. The Predators are 6-1-2 in their last nine games to all but clinch a postseason spot and face Boston and Toronto - two teams the Islanders are battling - later in the week.
“We’re definitely playing a lot more consistent,” Nashville defenseman Roman Josi, who is slated to play in his 400th NHL game Monday, told reporters after Saturday's 7-2 rout of San Jose. “Earlier in the year, we had a couple games where we played well and then we played bad.” The Islanders, who dropped a 2-1 home decision to Boston on Saturday to drop two points out of the second wild-card spot in the East, take on Nashville twice in the final eight games. Captain John Tavares rides a six-game point streak into the contest after scoring his 28th goal Saturday and is confident New York can stay in the hunt. “We’re still right there,” Tavares told reporters. “There’s not much time left, but still enough for us to get in (the playoffs). We’ll just keep battling to the end.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (38-25-11): Calle Jarnkrok reportedly is feeling fine after getting sucker-punched by San Jose’s Micheal Haley and leaving the game on Saturday. Viktor Arvidsson continued his breakout season with his league-best fifth short-handed goal in the victory, giving him seven tallies in 10 games and a career-high 28 on the campaign as he moved into second place on the team with 55 points. Ryan Johansen, who is one shy of 100 goals for his career, tops Nashville in scoring with 57 points after posting six in his last seven contests.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (35-27-12): New York, which has lost four in a row at home (0-3-1), registered only 19 shots in the loss to the Bruins, with only 10 coming at even strength. Josh Bailey notched an assist for the second straight contest following a six-game drought and is second on the team with 51 points while Anders Lee has scored three goals over his last five contests to tie Tavares for the club lead. Nikolay Kulemin is questionable after sitting out Saturday’s game with an undisclosed injury while defenseman Johnny Boychuk (foot) is skating and could return to the lineup soon.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville RW James Neal has scored five goals over his last seven contests and G Pekka Rinne is 5-0-2 in his last seven decisions.
2. The Islanders went 0-for-6 on the power play Saturday and are 2-for-19 over their last seven games.
3. Predators RW Craig Smith has recorded six assists and a plus-8 rating in his last three games while LW Colin Wilson has set up five goals while posting a plus-6 mark in his last two contests.