• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Canadiens-Predators Preview

Nov 13, 2009 - 9:32 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Montreal (9-10-0) at Nashville (8-8-1), 8:00 p.m. EDT

A renewed scoring punch has helped Nashville Predators recover from a slow start. The Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, can't seem to find much traction so far.

The Predators will try for their seventh win in 10 games as they host the inconsistent Canadiens on Saturday night.

After opening the season with consecutive victories, Nashville had six goals during an 0-5-1 skid but has rebounded to score three or more in six games since snapping that losing streak Oct. 22.

The Predators (8-8-1) earned a split of their four-game road trip with a 3-1 victory at St. Louis on Thursday night. Jordin Tootoo's unassisted score with 3:43 remaining broke a 1-all tie, and David Legwand added an empty netter for his first goal of the season.

Patric Hornqvist also scored for the second straight game to tie Shea Weber for the team lead with five goals.

"We stayed persistent for 60 minutes and it paid off," coach Barry Trotz said. "It was a good effort especially on the road."

Fourteen different players have scored Nashville's 25 goals in the past nine games, with Weber's four leading the way. J.P. Dumont has assisted on seven of those goals and scored twice to take over the team's points lead (11).

The Canadiens got their power play back on track to snap a two-game slide with Thursday night's 4-2 win at Phoenix. Montreal (9-10-0) scored on both of its opportunities after going 1 for 16 with a man advantage in its previous six games.

Marc-Andre Bergeron and Glen Metropolit scored 1:02 apart in the third period as the Canadiens doubled their goal production from their previous three games, and Carey Price earned his second win in three starts - after losing six in a row - by stopping 18 shots.

"There are two factors in determining a game - special teams and goaltending," coach Jacques Martin said. "Both of them tonight were key factors."

Montreal suffered similar difficulties finding the net during its two other losing streaks. It was outscored 20-9 during a five-game skid Oct. 6-17, and 9-3 while dropping consecutive games Oct. 28-30.

In between those two slides, the Canadiens produced 14 goals during a four-game win streak. Until Thursday's win, the only victories in the previous seven games came via shootouts.

Montreal will make its first trip to Nashville since a 6-5 shootout win on Feb. 22, 2007, and will try to improve on its 4-0-1 mark over the Predators since the start of the 2002-03 season.

The Canadiens earned a 3-2 win at home last season and are 7-2-1 with one tie all-time against Nashville. Andrei Kostitsyn tallied the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Andrei Markov added another score early in the third.

Jaroslav Halak, who has shared time with Price, earned the victory and could start again Saturday. He was in net during Montreal's previous game at Nashville.

The Predators have also split up goaltending duties this season, and Pekka Rinne or Dan Ellis will try to help them earn their first home win over the Canadiens since March 23, 2002.