Nashville @ Toronto preview
Scotiabank Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 27, 2020 ) Toronto 5, Nashville 2
A pair of three-game winning streaks will be on the line Tuesday night when the Nashville Predators open a three-game road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Predators defeated the Arizona Coyotes 4-1 in a home game Saturday that followed a 4-1-1 road trip. Nashville is 5-2-1 on the road.
The Maple Leafs, after squandering a two-goal lead, defeated the host Buffalo Sabres 5-4 on Saturday on Morgan Rielly's goal with 12 seconds to play in the third period. Toronto has won eight of nine games.
It was Rielly's first goal of the season and the second by a Toronto defenseman. Jake Muzzin has the other.
"I feel like early on there were plenty of opportunities, a couple of posts and stuff, but it's about time," Rielly said.
Ondrej Kase has scored in three consecutive games after notching his fourth goal of the season at Buffalo.
"You can see his confidence continuing to grow and he's probably just feeling comfortable within the system, within the team," Maple Leafs captain John Tavares said. "He's starting to get a good feel for how we play. He is very crafty with the puck, has a really good shot, a good release. He is competing extremely hard, he is winning a lot of 50-50 pucks, he is putting pressure on the opponent and that's creating time and space for him."
Kase was limited to three games with the Boston Bruins last season because of concussion issues.
The Maple Leafs will open a three-game homestand on Tuesday that will complete a run of nine of 11 at home.
Meanwhile, the Predators will have played nine of 10 on the road when they complete the current trip.
"I really liked the effort and the way that we prepared for the game," Predators coach John Hynes said after Saturday's game. "Mentally and physically, we were ready to play.
"Coming off a six-game road trip and then home for one, sometimes you are a little bit leery of the guys coming in and are we going to be really checked in to be able to play and I thought we worked tonight. ... I'm really proud of the guys. To be on the road for six, come home for one and then go back on the road, the way that we were prepared to play is a credit to the leadership group and the guys in the locker room."
Nashville defenseman Roman Josi had two goals and two assists on Saturday, his second four-point game this season. He has six goals and 10 assists.
"First of all, it was good to be back home," Josi said. "We've been on the road a lot, and Saturday nights in Smashville are always a lot of fun.
"I feel good this year. I think it's been going well, and obviously it's always hard to compare years to years, but I definitely feel good. I think last year, I've said it before, I wasn't too happy with my year. I definitely feel better about my game than last year, for sure."
Matt Duchene, who had a goal and an assist for Nashville on Saturday, has scored four goals in his past three games. He has nine goals and seven assists this season.
Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier (upper-body injury) missed his second consecutive game Saturday and is listed as day-to-day.
--Field Level Media