On Saturday night, the Nashville Predators attempted to right the current losing streak against the Minnesota Wild.
The Preds would come out blazing when Filip Forsberg scored 46 seconds into the first period to give the Preds a 1-0 lead.
The Preds would tack on another goal at 14:11 when Mike Ribeiro scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal to give the Preds a 2-0 advantage.
James Neal would add to the scoring when he scored a goal at 8:06 of the second period to put the Preds up 3-0.
The Wild would respond quickly with a Zach Parise goal 43 seconds later. In the third period, Minnesota would get one more tally when Jason Zucker scored at 8:35. The Preds would hang on for the win against the Wild by a score of 3-2.
Tonight, the Preds welcome in the Montreal Canadiens to Bridgestone Arena for their last game before the Christmas Break. In their last outing, the Canadiens lost 6-2 to the Dallas Stars.
Keys to Watch
Confidence Builder
The win on Saturday night could be a steppingstone to a much more substantive streak for the Nashville Predators. They need to go in to the break with some much needed confidence. Nashville started the game off on a tear with a solid 30 minutes against Minnesota. The problem is that they need to play for the entire game. It seems as though they get a lead and try to sit on it. The Predators have to learn how to play a full 60 minutes, especially against possible playoff contenders. Nashville can be a dominant team when they put 60 minutes together, when they can’t, they’re just mediocre.
The Price is Wrong
The Nashville Predators will have a slight advantage tonight in the goaltending department. The Montreal Canadiens will be without their best player, goaltender Carey Price. Last season, Price was the best player on the planet and was able to sweep the postseason awards. Without Price, the Canadiens are not the team as they are when he is in net. The game in Dallas showed what kind of team they are without Carey Price. Nashville must take advantage of the fact that the best player for Montreal will not be out there.
Seven in a Row
In the last seven games against the Canadiens, the Preds have at least one point in each game (4-0-3). The Preds have not lost a game against Montreal at home since 2003. Nashville has the opportunity to continue their streak against the Canadiens with a solid game at Bridgestone Arena. Last season, both teams won a game against the other in overtime.
The Preds will look to go into the Christmas break with their second win in a row. You can catch all of the action on Fox Sports-Tennessee or you can listen live on 102.5 The Game.
Puck drops at 7:00 pm!
