The Nashville Predators (10-5-4) continue to roll in spite of stubbing their toe against Columbus on Saturday night when they lost 4-3 against an inspired Blue Jackets team that finally broke their 17 game losing streak in Nashville.
The Predators are 7-1-3 in the last eleven games and have risen to fourth place in the Western Conference with 24 points. The hope to make it through tonight's game without a regulation loss on the homestand.
The Edmonton Oilers (10-8-2) will not be well rested as they lost 4-1 to the Stars last night in Dallas. After a 7-2-2 start, the Oilers have slumped, going 3-6-0 in the last nine games.
Edmonton did blow out the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Saturday in a 9-2 game where rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had five assists that contributed to his commanding lead over the Predators' Craig Smith (20-15) in the rookie point race.
Nikolai Khabibulin was in net for the Oilers last night so it is likely that Devan Dubnyk (2-4-0, 2.84, .903) will play the second game of the back end of the back set tonight. Dubnyk has played well against the Preds (1-1-1, 1.64, .947) in three career games.
It is unclear who will be in net for the Predators tonight. With back to back games, tonight and tomorrow in Minnesota, there is a chance that Barry Trotz could give Anders Lindback (0-1-0, 3.03, .907) a start in one of the two games. Pekka Rinne (10-4-4, .2.22, .932) has started all but one contest this year.
The two teams met last month in Edmonton in what was described and an "embarrassing" 3-1 loss where the Predators only managed 12 shots on goal for the game.
Since the start of the 2006-07 season the Predators hold a 16-4-1 edge over the Oilers and were 2-1-1 last year. After the game, the team will leave immediately for Minnesota, where they will play the Wild tomorrow night before returning home to eat turkey on their day off on Thursday.
Other Predator previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, Ryan Porth, Dirk Hoag, Predatorial, Fang Finger, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
The other side of the story comes from the Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, The Copper and Blue, OilersNation, and Oil on Whyte.
Special POTG discount tickets are available for tonight's game against Edmonton as well as all remaining games. Go here and use the offer code preds.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
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