The Minnesota Wild will host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, seeking a rebound after a recent loss. The Predators enter on a hot streak, having won nine of their last 13 games. This matchup marks the second of three meetings this season between the Central Division rivals.
The Minnesota Wild (22-10-5) conclude their homestand against the Nashville Predators (recent form: 9-4-0 in last 13) on December 23 at 7:00 p.m. CT at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The game, broadcast on ESPN+, Hulu, and KFAN radio, caps the schedule before the NHL's Christmas break.
Minnesota aims to recover from a 5-1 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday, which ended a seven-game winning streak. Key contributors include Matt Boldy (22 goals, 43 points) and Kirill Kaprizov (22 goals, 42 points). The Wild recently acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes from Vancouver, who has three points in five games. Projected lineup features Kaprizov with Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello on the top line, and Filip Gustavsson in net.
Nashville, fresh off a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday and a 5-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, has scored 47 goals in their recent surge (3.62 per game). Ryan O'Reilly leads with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists), while Filip Forsberg extends an eight-game point streak and Steven Stamkos nears 600 career goals. Justus Annunen earned the latest win in net. Forward Jonathan Marchessault remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The teams split their first meeting on November 4, with the Wild prevailing 3-2 in overtime after Stamkos tied the score with one second left in regulation. All-time, Nashville holds a 47-29-5-12 edge, though Minnesota is 10-4-1 in the last 15 home games against the Preds. Connections abound: Wild coach John Hynes previously led Nashville, and several players like Yakov Trenin and Ryan Hartman have Predators ties.
Predators alternate captain Ryan O'Reilly reflected on the turnaround: "We're crawling back into this thing, and it's a lot more fun. Everyone's contributing. It's exciting. It's fun coming to the rink." Both teams' strong penalty kills—Nashville at 82.1% league-wide—could prove decisive.