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NHL on NBCSN: Wild look to strengthen hold on wild card spot vs. Predators

2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills - Save Streak

SAN JOSE, CA - JANUARY 25: Devan Dubnyk #40 of the Minnesota Wild competes in the Ticketmaster NHL Save Streak during the 2019 SAP NHL All-Star Skills at SAP Center on January 25, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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NBCSN’s coverage of the 2018-19 NHL season continues with the Sunday night’s matchup between the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.

These two teams -- the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators -- will face each other twice in the next three days with various implications at stake beginning on NBCSN on Sunday night.

The Wild are one of the NHL’s hottest teams at the moment, coming into the game riding a five-game winning streak after a 4-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The streak is a season-high and comes at a time when the Wild are fully entrenched in a four-way battle for one of two wildcard spots in the Western Conference. The Wild sit in the second wildcard spot, one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes and four points behind the third-place St. Louis Blues in the Central.

Devan Dubnyk’s resurgence has been a big part of Minnesota’s success. He continued to roll last night against the high-powered Flames, stopping 35 of 37 shots to earn his fifth straight win. During the winning streak, Dubnyk has a 1.59 goals-against average and .950 save percentage.

Boudreau was noncommittal on who would start Sunday against the Predators.

“We really want to get Alex (Stalock) into a game, but Dubnyk is on such a roll, it’s pretty hard,” Boudreau said. “But at the same time, not too many goalies play doubleheaders in the NHL these days.” [WATCH LIVE - COVERAGE BEGINS AT 6:30 P.M. ET - NBCSN]

Nashville, meanwhile, will be looking to regain first place in the Central with a win (and a corresponding loss by the Winnipeg Jets against the Columbus Blue Jackets).

The Predators lost 5-3 to Winnipeg on Friday after beginning the game with a 2-0 lead, and have lost two straight now and three of their past four.

The Preds could use some help in the goal department. Viktor Arvidsson has been money with 27 goals in just 43 games this season after missing two months with a busted thumb. The usual suspects haven’t been contributing in the same realm.

Filip Forsberg, the focus of Star Sunday for Nashville, has seven goals in 24 games since returning from an upper-body injury that forced him to miss the month of December. Ryan Johansen has just 11 goals in 65 games but leads the Preds with 43 assists and 54 points.

“Filip is one of the more important players,” Pekka Rinne said earlier this season. “Everybody knows that. He’s a guy who can change a game... When you’re a big-time player, nobody expects more than (you do) from yourself. I know Fil does that. He’s a game breaker.”

Ryan Suter will be the Wild’s featured player on Star Sunday.

Suter has 42 points in 65 games and has averaged 26:47 of ice time, second only to Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.

John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live, hosted by Kathryn Tappen alongside Patrick Sharp and Keith Jones.


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck