New Jersey @ Nashville preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2018 ) New Jersey 1, Nashville 2

Nashville's Kyle Turris responded with a productive performance after being a healthy scratch for seven straight games and hopes to have another when the Predators host P.K. Subban and the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Turris recorded a goal and an assist, and was 12-4 on faceoffs in Nashville's 3-2 overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday, and later reflected on his time out of the lineup.

"Just stayed positive,'' Turris told reporters. "I learned a lot from last year (when he was a healthy scratch). I mean I'm not going to second-guess myself anymore. I'm done with that and confident in the player I am and how I know I can contribute. I'm just going to keep doing that, keep doing my thing." Subban returns to Nashville for the first time since he was traded to the Devils during the offseason. "We'll be (trash) talking for sure," Predators captain Roman Josi told reporters. "The way I know him, he's going to start it. There's probably going to be some chirping for sure." Nashville has split its last six games (3-1-2) as its uneven season continues while New Jersey (0-3-1) has lost four straight following a 2-1 shootout setback to Chicago on Friday.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS Tennessee (Nashville)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (9-14-5): Taylor Hall scored his fifth goal of the season Friday and leads the club with 23 points as trade rumors continue to swirl around the 2018 Hart Trophy winner. Jack Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, and Nico Hischier, taken first in 2017, have combined for nine goals and 18 assists. Louis Domingue is expected to make his first start since allowing five goals on 15 shots in a 7-1 loss at Buffalo on Monday after Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 28 shots Friday.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (12-10-5): Calle Jarnkrok, Filip Forsberg and Nick Bonino (plus-7) have a team-high 10 goals apiece with Jarnkrok scoring twice in the last three games. Josi has a club-most 24 points but hasn't hit the scoresheet in the last three games while Ryan Ellis (team-best plus-8) and Matt Duchene have 20 apiece. Ryan Johansen was fined $5,000 for elbowing Tampa Bay's Brayden Point in the head Tuesday - an act which brought a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey has yielded a power-play goal in four straight games.

2. Nashville on Tuesday scored a power-play goal for the first time in six contests while its penalty-killing unit is 15-for-15 over the past five games.

3. The Predators swept the two-game 2018-19 season series, winning in overtime on a Turris goal and in a shootout.

PREDICTION: Predators 3, Devils 2