Two of the NHL’s hottest teams over the past two months go head-to-head when the Nashville Predators host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
The Predators were 6-12-4 following an 8-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Nov. 24, their third straight defeat and the end of a stretch during which they lost eight of nine (1-6-2).
Nashville was not only last in the Western Conference, 11 points back of the second wild-card spot, but also sat at the very bottom of the league’s overall standings.
The Predators snapped that skid with a 6-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 26, a victory that kicked off a 17-9-0 stretch and vaulted them into the thick of the playoff race.
Most recently, Nashville split a back-to-back featuring lopsided matchups; the Predators won 7-3 against the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, dealing them their first regulation home loss of the season on Friday, before falling 7-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.
“We played two really good teams, obviously won [Friday], and wish we had a better showing [Saturday],” Nashville captain Roman Josi said. “But I think [Saturday] showed us again that we know how we have to play.
“We know what it takes to win, the way we have to play, and when we get away from that we’re not going to be successful. So, it was a good lesson.”
A win against Detroit also kicked off the Sabres’ remarkable run. Buffalo was 5-8-4 after a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 13, its fifth straight setback. The Sabres trailed 4-1 in the second period against the Red Wings on Nov. 15 before rallying for four unanswered goals in a 5-4 overtime victory.
Buffalo has gone 21-9-1 since, including a 10-game winning streak from Dec. 9-31, and reside in the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres head into Nashville, though, having lost two straight for the first time since dropping three in a row from Dec. 3-8. They lost 5-4 in overtime to the Wild on Saturday and opened their stretch of five straight on the road with a 2-1 setback against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
“I think it really helps with our schedule that we have so much hockey. There’s really no time to sit and think about [the loss to Carolina],” Buffalo center Tage Thompson said. “We come in the locker room after that loss, and you can look (at) yourself in the mirror and be happy with how you played. Obviously it sucks not getting the results, but I thought we played hard and just got to play the same way tomorrow against Nashville.”
Thompson has been a key factor in the Sabres’ success, with 27 of his 50 points coming since Dec. 9, fourth most in the Eastern Conference during that stretch and ninth most in the NHL. Last week, he had nine points (three goals, six assists) in four games to earn the NHL First Star of the Week honors.
Josi was named the second star, following seven points (two goals, five assists) in three games. The defenseman has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a four-game point streak.
