The Nashville Predators play host to the New York Rangers on Sunday, with both teams trying to build momentum with the NHL’s holiday break on the horizon.
Both teams are coming off wins Saturday. New York needed a shootout to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 for its second straight victory, and the Predators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 for their fourth win in their last six games.
The Rangers trailed 3-1 midway through the game and 4-2 halfway through the third period before rallying to victory. Head coach Mike Sullivan praised his team’s resiliency.
“I think that’s such a huge part of a team’s ability to have success, and it starts with a belief,” he said. “We got to believe we can do it.”
With the win, the Rangers have registered at least a point in 10 of their last 14 games (8-4-2).
New York’s 13 road wins are tied with the Dallas Stars for the most in the league.
Even with the ugly start at home this season, New York remains just a point out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, although other teams vying for the playoffs have at least a game in-hand on the Rangers.
Saturday’s win came despite team captain J.T. Miller departing midway through the third period after being hit by Philadelphia’s Nick Seeler and Owen Trippett in the neutral zone. Sullivan said Miller was being evaluated for an upper-body injury, and he did not have the results immediately after the game.
Losing Miller, whose 10 goals rank third on the team and whose 22 points are fourth, for any amount of time would be a blow for a team that has struggled to score this season. The Rangers are averaging just 2.54 goals per game, and defenseman Adam Fox, whose 23 assists are tied with Artemi Panarin for the team lead, has been on long-term injured reserve for almost a month.
Panarin leads the team with 13 goals. He scored twice Saturday, giving him points in seven of the nine games he has played in December.
Scoring also has been a challenge for the Predators, who scored five or more goals prior to a shootout for just the fifth time this season on Saturday and needed a pair of late empty-net goals to get there. Through 34 games, Nashville averages 2.82 goals per game.
Luke Evangelista’s fifth goal of the season served as the game-winner midway through the third period on Saturday. The winger, who leads Nashville with 19 assists, took matters into his own hands by going through four Toronto players before deking Morgan Rielly and beating goalie Joseph Woll on a backhander for his first goal since Nov. 29.
With the victory, Nashville moved out of the Central Division cellar, and the Predators lurk just five points back for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
“That was a big game for us… We’re desperate,” the 23-year-old said. “We’re trying to climb, and just to get one late, that’s a big goal.”
Both teams will have one game remaining before the league takes a three-day break starting on Christmas Eve.
-Field Level Media
