Two teams looking to climb the Central Division standings will face off Saturday in Nashville, when the Predators host the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues will wrap up a three-game road trip after they lost 5-4 to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. St. Louis scored twice in the final four minutes, including a short-handed goal by Robert Thomas, but coach Jim Montgomery’s team could not complete the comeback to force overtime.
“Well, 1-1 on a three-game road trip, we got to come out above .500,” Montgomery said. “We’ll get on the plane, get to Nashville, have a really good practice (Friday) and come out Saturday night with a little more determined effort than we had (Thursday).”
Nashville, though, did force the extra session on Thursday. The Predators overcame a 2-0 deficit to San Jose midway through the third period and earned a point thanks to Steven Stamkos’ last-second goal, which tied the contest. The Sharks prevailed in the shootout, extending Nashville’s winless streak to three games (0-1-2).
Nashville has leaned on its veterans, with all five of its leading scorers at least 32 years old. Stamkos, 36, leads the team with four goals and eight points. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with Tampa Bay, Stamkos is now in his third year with Nashville, which has only made the playoffs once in the last four seasons.
“I think we’re very well aware of where we want to be and how we want to begin the year,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “So, I think we’re putting a little bit added pressure on ourselves. For sure there’s disappointment (with the overtime loss), but we just pick ourselves up and go back to work. You stacked a point out of it, and you build to the next game.”
Goalie Juuse Saros (2-2-2, 2.95 goals-against average), another Predators veteran, has started six of the team’s seven games and stopped 30 shots in the loss to San Jose. The Finnish netminder has allowed just 18 of 187 shots, posting a .904 save percentage.
Saros has faced the Blues 24 times over his 12 NHL seasons. He’s 10-11-2 with a 3.36 GAA and an .885 save percentage.
Nashville may get Mavrik Bourque back in the lineup. The 24-year-old center, acquired in July from the Dallas Stars, has missed the past week due to an upper-body injury, but he was on the ice for practice Friday.
St. Louis had its two-game winning streak snapped Thursday, but the Blues have improved offensively, scoring 16 goals over their past three games.
Mason McTavish, acquired from Anaheim in June, leads the Blues with five goals and eight points. The 23-year-old center has a five-game point streak, including three goals and an assist in his past two contests.
Netminder Joel Hofer (2-2-1, 2.43 GAA) has started both games on the road trip. In eight career games against Nashville, Hofer, 26, is 4-3-0 with a 3.59 GAA and an .865 save percentage.
Pavel Buchnevich, who had three assists in the 7-2 win over Ottawa on Tuesday, missed Thursday’s game against the Wild due to the birth of his child. It’s unclear whether he’ll return for Saturday’s game.