Wild-Nashville game preview: Predators are first for Wild in 19-day homestand
Nine consecutive games at Xcel Energy Center could help team in position to make a move in playoff standings.
March 13, 2022 at 12:38AM
Wild update: This is the start of a franchise-longest nine game homestand for the Wild. The team won its last game at Xcel Energy Center, a 5-2 victory over the Rangers on Tuesday that snapped a season-worst three-game slide in St. Paul. Overall, the Wild is 17-6-1 as the home team. On Saturday, the Wild sent D Calen Addison back to Iowa in the American Hockey League. RW Marcus Foligno was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for kneeing the Blue Jackets' Jakub Voracek on Friday in the Wild's 3-2 shootout loss.
Predators update: The Predators were in action Saturday, suffering a 7-4 loss to the Blues that ended their three-game win streak. That result also kept No. 4 Nashville two points back of the third-place Wild in the Central Division. RW Matt Duchene has eight goals in his past five games, reaching the 30-goal plateau for the third time in his career. His linemate and C Ryan Johansen is coming off a three-point performance vs. St. Louis, his second multipoint effort over his past three games. In their only other matchup vs. the Wild this season, the Predators won 5-2 on Oct. 24.
The Wild have been the surprise of the league as their high-scoring winger makes a shambles of team scoring records.
