BOSTON — The Nashville Predators start a two-game road swing Thursday night at TD Garden, where they meet a Boston team that has been one of the best in the NHL so far. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. Central.
Nashville sits at 3-2-3 after beating St. Louis 5-2 on Saturday to snap a three-game winless run. Boston is 7-3-1 and had won five in a row before a 3-2 overtime loss at Dallas on Tuesday. Thursday opens a busy stretch for the Predators of six games in 10 days, and it is the first of two meetings with the Bruins this season. Boston comes to Bridgestone Arena in March.
Against the Blues, Nashville got goals from five players, including Filip Forsberg, Jack Drury and Jonathan Marchessault, plus scores by Ryan O’Reilly and Adam Edstrom. Adam Wilsby set a career high with three assists, and Juuse Saros stopped 24 shots. Steven Stamkos leads the team with four goals and 10 points, while Roman Josi has eight assists.
Special teams could decide it. The Nashville power play is third in the league at 29.6 percent, going 8-for-27, and the penalty kill has held at 85.2 percent. Boston averages 3.6 goals a game, seventh in the NHL, with David Pastrnak leading the way at four goals and 12 points.
In goal, Saros has started all but one game, posting a 3-2-2 record and allowing 2.82 goals per game. Boston counters with Jeremy Swayman, who is 6-1-1, stopping shots at a .928 clip and giving up 1.98 goals per game.
Forward Mavrik Bourque, sidelined for four straight games by an upper-body injury, took full part in practice Wednesday and could return. All time, Nashville holds an 18-18-1-4 record in the series and 2-3-0 in their last five trips to TD Garden, though Boston has been held to three goals or fewer in each of the last seven matchups.
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