After winning 14 of 15 games and opening a 10-point lead in the Central Division Greg Bird Jersey , the Nashville Predators were due for a fall. Three games in four days against Toronto, Minnesota and Winnipeg — the last two on the road — provided the proper setup for a slump.
Three losses later, including Sunday night’s 5-4 shootout setback to Winnipeg, Nashville’s lead has been cut in half. That sets the stage for a little more drama in the regular season’s final two weeks as the Predators now lead hard-charging Jets by just five points with seven games left.
The schedule-maker provided Nashville with a providential three-game homestand, starting Tuesday night with Minnesota’s final visit of the regular season.
At 48-16-11, the Predators have 107 points, good for a one-point lead on Tampa Bay in the battle for the Presidents’ Trophy and home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. To hold onto that, Nashville will look to end its brief skid against Minnesota.
Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said the team should be encouraged by their performance in Winnipeg, where it managed a point on the second half of a back-to-back and came within a post — Kyle Turris beat Connor Hellebuyck but not the iron right before overtime ended — of two points.
“It’s not about Xs and Os so much,” Ellis said. “It’s about being on the puck first Christian Kirk Color Rush Jersey , hitting guys first and initiating stuff like that. Tonight, in a back-to-back versus that team, it was a good game for both sides.”
It was definitely a good game for Nashville’s backup goalie, Juuse Saros, who stopped 43 of 47 shots and gave his team a chance to leave Canada with two points. The rested Jets put 25 shots on Saros in the second period alone, and he made three clutch saves in overtime.
Pekka Rinne (40-11-4, 2.27 goals-against average, .928 save percentage), coming off consecutive losses for the first time since mid-December, should get the start in net against Minnesota. The Wild have beaten him all three times they’ve faced him this season Authentic Minkah Fitzpatrick Jersey , including a 4-1 verdict Saturday night that featured the ejection of Predators coach Peter Laviolette late in the third period.
Minnesota (42-24-9) had a chance to cap its weekend with a stirring come-from-behind win over Boston on Sunday night but ceded a Brad Marchand goal 28 seconds into overtime and fell 2-1 despite 26 saves from backup goalie Alex Stalock.
“We hit a couple of posts and we had a goal called back,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We got three of four points this weekend against two of the best teams in the league, so we’re holding our own. This was a big point.”
Minnesota enters with 93 points, three more than Colorado, and stands third in the Central. The Wild are 3-0-2 in their last five games but play five of their last seven on the road.
Devan Dubnyk (32-14-6, 2.60, .916), who owns three wins against Nashville this season, should get the call in net. Minnesota will get a fresh face in the lineup with the signing of Boston University standout Jordan Greenway, who had 13 goals and 22 assists this season for the Terriers. He’s expected to make his NHL debut in Nashville.
The Pittsburgh Pirates Cheap Martinas Rankin Jersey , trying to regain a foothold in the National League Central, have settled into a four-man outfield rotation that may not be altogether comfortable.
It’s hard to say from game to game which three will start. The three who began the season — left fielder Corey Dickerson, center fielder Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in right — started Monday in a 1-0 win over Milwaukee, but it’s possible one of them will be replaced in the second game of the series Tuesday at PNC Park with rookie Austin Meadows, who has been strong offensively and defensively since being recalled last month and has played in all three outfield spots.
A lot of the sentiment surrounding the Pirates seems to lean toward Polanco sitting more often than not. He is batting .214 and has had some lapses defensively and on the bases. But the Pirates are steadfast in playing him.
“I’ve had his back through all of this, because I believe he’s a good ballplayer and I believed the swing was going to come back out,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ll see. Time will tell. We can sit here and talk all day about what might happen. He’s going to get the opportunity to go out and hit. It’s going to happen or it’s not going to happen. I believe it’s going to happen.”
Polanco has been better the past two games, going 3 for 4 with a homer, two RBIs and a walk, although he stranded two runners Monday.
“It’s just a battle http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-derrick-nnadi-jersey ,” he said. “You’ve got to fight every day. You’ve got to fight. You’ve got to work. No matter how I’m doing I’m going to keep working because I worked so hard in the offseason to get my body ready. Now in the season I don’t want to stop working. I don’t care I am doing; going to keep working every day.”
A turnaround by Polanco concurrent with a Pittsburgh resurgence would certainly help. The Pirates (36-36) vied for the division lead early in the season before a month-long swoon. Monday’s win moved them back to within six games of the first-place Brewers (42-30), who have lost three straight.
Milwaukee will recall right-hander Freddy Peralta (1-0, 3.72 ERA) from Triple-A Colorado Springs and give him his third career start Tuesday, against Pittsburgh righty Jameson Taillon (4-5, 3.94 ERA).
In his earlier recall, Peralta, 22, made his major league debut on Mother’s Day, going 5 2/3 scoreless innings against Colorado, giving up one hit and setting a Brewers record for a debut with 13 strikeouts.
In his other start Roquan Smith Color Rush Jersey , he got a no-decision.
“It’s still exciting,” Peralta told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about his second recall. “I’ve been working hard, trying to get back here. You are fighting all the time to be where you want to be — here.”
Among his three most recent starts for Colorado Springs, Peralta took a no-hitter into the seventh and struck out 11 in six innings.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell was clear that Peralta is not penciled in for anything beyond Tuesday’s start, but allowed, “He has been on a really good roll. Every line score has looked really good. The evaluations have been really good. So he has earned it.”
Milwaukee third baseman Travis Shaw’s status is unclear. He did not play Monday because of a sore wrist he got Sunday.
Taillon, who is 1-3 with a 3.47 ERA in seven career starts against Milwaukee, has gone 2-5 with a 5.02 ERA over his past 11 starts. He last pitched on Wednesday when he allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings of a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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