Predators at Blues
St. Louis clinched a playoff spot with Friday's 2-1 shootout loss at Colorado and stretched its point streak to eight games (6-0-2), but there's much more to accomplish as the Blues host the Nashville Predators on Sunday afternoon in a key Central Division clash. The clubs each have 91 points after Nashville's 3-0 victory over Minnesota on Saturday, with St. Louis sitting third via the tiebreaker and the Predators needing one point to clinch a postseason berth.
"We wanted to get into the playoffs, that was goal No. 1, and we're there now and it's something we should be pleased about," St. Louis coach Mike Yeo told reporters. "Now we want to make sure we're on top of our game and we're in a good spot when we go in. We recognize as a group, we need to be better ..." Friday's setback was the Blues' third in their last 14 games (11-1-2) - a stretch during which they have outscored opponents 42-20. Nashville snapped a two-game slide Saturday with its fifth victory in seven games and is 8-3-0 in its last 11 as it nears its third straight playoff appearance. The Predators won three of the first four meetings in the five-game season series - all before the calendar flipped to 2017, including a 4-0 shutout on Dec. 30 in the last encounter that snapped a five-game home winning streak in the all-time series for the Blues.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (40-27-11): Filip Forsberg scored his team-leading 31st goal Saturday - his second tally in two games - and is within two of his career high set last season. James Neal (23 goals) missed Saturday's game after taking a puck to the head in Thursday's 3-1 loss to Toronto while Craig Smith (10) returned after missing the contest against the Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury. Pekka Rinne (31-18-8) recorded his third shutout of the season to improve to 5-2-0 with a .944 save percentage in his last seven games, and he is expected to play again Sunday in what is shaping up to be the biggest game of the season.
ABOUT THE BLUES (42-28-7): St. Louis is banged up on the blue line with Carl Gunnarsson missing the last two games (lower body) and Robert Bortuzzo leaving Friday's contest with an upper-body injury, forcing the team to recall Petteri Lindbohm from Chicago of the American Hockey League under emergency conditions. Vladimir Tarasenko (club highs of 36 goals and 69 points) was kept off the scoresheet Friday for the third time in his last eight games - a span in which he has recorded four goals and four assists. Jake Allen (30-19-5, 2.39 goals-against average, .915 save percentage) suffered his second loss in his last three games Friday (1-0-2) but finished March with a .953 save percentage - the best non-April month of his career.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville D Roman Josi, who set up a tally Saturday, has recorded six goals and 20 assists in his last 26 games.
2. The Blues are 1-for-15 on the power play in their last six contests while the Predators are 0-for-13 in their last four.
3. Nashville is 28-1-5 when leading after two periods.