Wild-Nashville game preview
March 3, 2020 at 5:57AM
Wild, Preds to be seeing a lot of each other
Preview: This is the first of three games vs. the Predators the rest of the season, a potential make-or-break series since both teams are fighting for the same wild-card spot. Despite seeing its three-game winning streak end Sunday in a 4-3 loss to the Capitals, the Wild played well and didn't sag in its return home from a two-game sweep on the road. Nashville will be playing the second game of a back-to-back. The Predators won the first two meetings against the Wild in October.
Players to watch: Predators G Juuse Saros is 3-0 in his career vs. the Wild. C Matt Duchene has three assists against the Wild this season. … Wild RW Luke Kunin is expected to return Tuesday after missing the past five games because of an upper-body injury. In his past four games, LW Ryan Donato has scored three goals.
Numbers: The 20 goals scored by the Wild over its past four games are tied for the second most in franchise history. Its penalty kill is 22-for-23 over the past 10 contests. … Nashville outscored the Wild 9-2 in its two October victories. Saros' .976 save percentage against the Wild is his best against any NHL team.
Injuries: Wild D Carson Soucy (upper body) is out.
SARAH MCLELLAN
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Saturday’s game against Dallas presents an opportunity to indicate the team won’t repeat the flop in division games that wrecked last season.
