NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Fresh off their most complete game of the young season, the Nashville Predators return to the ice at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night for an 8 p.m. meeting with the New York Islanders, the first time the teams have met this season.
Nashville enters at 4-3-4 and finally has some momentum. Before Sunday, the Predators had dropped five of six. Then they hammered the Colorado Avalanche 6-2, cashing in on four of their seven power plays. Ryan O’Reilly had two goals and two assists, with both of his goals coming on the man advantage, and Steven Stamkos scored twice. Filip Forsberg chipped in three points, and Jack Drury also found the net.
Special teams have been the Predators’ calling card. Their power play ranks third in the league at 33.3 percent, and the penalty kill is fifth at 85.7 percent. Stamkos leads the club with seven goals and 14 points, O’Reilly has 12 points in his 18th NHL season, and Roman Josi has 11 assists.
Justus Annunen made 19 saves against Colorado for his first win of the season, so Juuse Saros, who is 3-2-3 with a .908 save percentage, is expected back in goal against New York.
The Islanders arrive at 5-4-2 in the middle of a stretch of four games in six nights. A 6-3 loss at Dallas on Sunday ended their five-game point streak. Bo Horvat leads them with five goals and 12 points, and 19-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer has points in four straight games. He recently moved past Bobby Orr on the list of top-scoring teenage blueliners in league history, now sitting second.
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