The Nashville Predators continue their three-game road trip with a Saturday matinee at Rogers Place against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers.
To collect their second-straight win, the Predators will need to derail the third-longest winning streak in NHL history (15) in one of the League’s toughest barns.
Puck drop is at 3 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio. Here’s everything you need to know:
LAST TIME OUT
Alexandre Carrier and Filip Forsberg tallied 35 seconds apart and Roman Josi scored the game-winner, all within the final frame, to hand the Predators a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.
Carrier’s fourth goal of the season established a new career high for the 27-year-old blueliner.
Josi’s 10th goal of 2023-24 was additionally his second game-winning marker of the campaign. Per NHL PR, Josi reached a double-digit goal total in a season for the 10th time in his career and joined Brent Burns (12) as the only active defensemen to achieve the feat. With an assist on Forsberg’s goal, Josi also collected his ninth multi-point game of the season.
Forsberg’s go-ahead goal was his 23rd of the season and the fourth in his last nine outings. The goal additionally saw the forward reach the 50-point mark for the seventh time of his career and the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.
With two assists, Ryan O’Reilly recorded his 12th multi-point game of the season.
Yakov Trenin picked up his third assist of the season and Gustav Nyquist his 25th.
After a 22-save performance, Juuse Saros earned his 10th win following a loss, the most among all NHL goaltenders; the win moved Saros to 19-18-1 on the season.
Nashville moved to 26-21-1 on the season and 13-9-1 on the road.
THE GOOD GUYS
Forsberg leads the Predators in points (50) and goals (23); the forward is tied for 14th in points and 10th in goals among all NHL skaters.
Josi leads his club and is sixth among League blueliners in assists (32); the Predators captain is additionally tied for fifth among NHL defensemen in points (42) and fourth in goals (10).
Saros is 19-18-1 after 38 games, with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. Kevin Lankinen is 6-3-0 after 13 games, with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.
The Predators lead the NHL in hits (1,111) and hits per 60 minutes (23.02).
Nashville is fourth in the Central Division with 53 points.
THE OTHER GUYS
Edmonton’s 15-game winning streak is the longest in franchise history; they are three wins away from passing the longest winning streak in NHL history, a 17-game stretch recorded by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993.
Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (63) and assists (44); he is tied for sixth in points and is sixth in assists among all NHL skaters.
Zach Hyman leads his club and is tied for sixth among League skaters in goals with 29.
Stuart Skinner is 22-9-1 after 33 games, with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage; Skinner is tied for fourth among League netminders in wins and is seventh among qualified goaltenders (15 GP or more) in GAA.
The Oilers are ninth in the NHL in goals for (154) and fourth in goals for per game (3.50); they have the fifth-best power play (26.3%) and the seventh-best penalty kill (82.7%) in the League.
Edmonton is third in the Pacific Division with 57 points and a 15-6-1 record at Rogers Place.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 46-32-(3)-4 all-time against the Oilers, including a 22-15-(0)-4 record on the road. This is the third and final matchup between Nashville and Edmonton in 2023-24; it is the second and final at Rogers Place.
Nashville is 1-1-0 against Edmonton this season, earning a 5-2 victory in the last meeting in Alberta on Nov. 4. Nashville lost, 6-1, in the season’s first matchup at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 17. The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games against the Oilers; they are 2-7-1 in their last 10; and 1-3-1 in their last five on the road.
The Predators won 13 straight games against the Oilers from Oct. 29, 2014-Oct. 20, 2018, outscoring the Oilers 40-15 during the streak. Nashville has won at least nine games in a row over Edmonton two separate times, with the first streak coming from Nov. 1, 2006-Oct. 30, 2008.
NOTABLES VS. EDMONTON
- The Predators acquired Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick (Tanner Molendyk) in the 2023 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from Edmonton for Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on Feb. 28, 2023. Barrie spent parts of three seasons with the Oilers from 2020-23, recording 132 points (25g-107a) in 190 games.
- Saros set the Nashville franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he posted 46 vs. Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2017. In 10 career games vs. the Oilers, Saros is 3-5-1 with a .916 save percentage and two shutouts.
- Forsberg has averaged a point per game in his career vs. the Oilers, tallying 24 points (12g-12a) in 24 games. He became the second player in NHL history to score a “lacrosse-style” goal in Nashville’s game against Edmonton on Jan. 14, 2020.
- Josi has 16 assists and 20 points in 31 career meetings with the Oilers.
- O’Reilly recorded his fifth career NHL hat trick as part of a four-point game (3g-1a) on Nov. 4 at Edmonton.
- Ekholm was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft and played the first 719 games of his career with Nashville, recording 268 points (62g-206a).
MILESTONE WATCH
- Barrie is one game from 800 in his NHL career.
- Forsberg is one assist from 300 in his NHL career.
- Luke Schenn is four points from 200 in his NHL career.
- Ryan McDonagh is five games from 900 in his NHL career.
WATCH & LISTEN
Coverage for Saturday’s game begins at 2:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side.
Pete Weber and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)
