Nashville @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2019 ) Minnesota 0, Nashville 4

The Nashville Predators must quickly put a devastating loss behind them when they visit the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday in a key Western Conference game. Nashville and Edmonton were tied entering the third period Monday before the Oilers exploded for five goals in a 5:13 span to prevail 8-3, leaving the Predators in a three-way tie for the final wild-card spot and one point ahead of Minnesota.

The Wild had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 loss to Washington on Sunday and will try to halt a seven-game slide against Nashville. "Just because we worked hard and we lost, we can't get down. … ,'' Minnesota's Marcus Foligno told the media. "The next game against (the Nashville Predators on Tuesday) is a huge game. If we play like that, most nights we're going to be successful. It's tough to lose this where we know we could've jumped in there and climbed up a little bit quicker. But we still have the belief of getting in (the playoffs)." The Wild's Kevin Fiala was named the NHL's First Star of the Week after becoming the third player in franchise history to record four consecutive multi-point games, scoring in each of those contests to raise his team-leading and career-high point total to 49. Nashville won the season's first two encounters - both in October - by a combined 9-2 with defenseman Ryan Ellis contributing a goal, an assist and a plus-6 rating.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: FS Tennessee, FS Wisconsin, FS North Plus

ABOUT THE PREDATORS (32-25-8): Nick Bonino scored his 18th goal of the season, matching Filip Forsberg for the club lead, to tie Monday's game 3-3 before the wheels came off. Juuse Saros, who is 3-1-0 with a .932 save percentage in his last four games, will likely be in goal Tuesday after relieving Pekka Rinne, who allowed eight goals versus Edmonton - the first time he's allowed that many in his career. Ellis, the week's second star, was held off the scoresheet and was a minus-2 on Monday but has eight points in six games since missing 20 with a concussion sustained New Year's Day.

ABOUT THE WILD (32-26-7): Zach Parise (42 points) scored his team-leading 23rd goal Sunday and has two goals and three assists in his last three games, but his minus-12 rating would be the worst of his career. Alex Stalock has started the last four games and is 3-1-0 with a 1.81 goals-against average and .917 save percentage during that span. Luke Kunin (13 goals, 27 points) could return as early as Tuesday after missing five games with an upper-body injury, and coach Dean Evason told reporters that the 22-year-old forward will accompany the team on a three-game California trip that begins Thursday in San Jose.

OVERTIME

1. Nashville's Roman Josi on Monday scored his career-high 16th goal - second-most among league defensemen - and his 61 points equaled a club record for blueliners, trailing only Washington's John Carlson (73) in the among defensemen.

2. Minnesota is 4-for-11 with the man advantage in its last three games while its penalty-killing unit allowed a power-play goal Sunday for the first time in 10 contests.

3. The Predators' 16-11-4 road record is the best among wild-card contenders in the West.

PREDICTION: Predators 3, Wild 2