Minnesota Game Could Confirm If Nashville's Recent Turnaround Is Real
Nashville's recent success can be attributed to several factors, but do they add up to a Predators team that can compete against the Minnesota Wild?
After a struggling start to the 2025-26 season, the Nashville Predators have gone 7-3 in their last ten games including back to back wins over the weekend. Only the Colorado Avalanche (8-1-1) and Dallas Stars (8-2) have a better record over this ten game stretch.
Improvements in several key areas have contributed to this recent success. First, Nashville’s big players are playing big. With his second period goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Rangers, Filip Forsberg extended his consecutive point streak to eight games. Ryan O’Reilly continues to be one of the Predators’ most important playmakers with seven points in the last ten games. Steven Stamkos has eight goals and eleven points in that stretch as well.
It isn’t just the top players who are contributing. Andrew Brunette emphasized how important depth players have been. After the win over the Rangers, Andrew Brunette highlighted the Jost-Svechkov-Wood line.
“That line was humongous for us tonight. That was really important in a back to back game,” Brunette said.
“We needed [Svechkov’s] line, the youth, the energy, to bring it. We challenged them, and I thought they were a huge part of why we won this hockey game. I thought they grabbed momentum almost every time they were out there. They played fast. They played in your face.”
“They were big for us today and we needed them. Now we need them every night, and we’ll continue to build that group.”
Much improved goaltending has also helped the Predators secure wins. In this 7-3 stretch, the Predators goaltenders have earned a combined .926 save percentage. In the ten games prior in which the team went 3-7 that save percentage was just .851. Juuse Saros, and in his few appearances, Justus Annunen, have kept Nashville in tight games with timely saves.
The wins are reenergizing the locker room.
“It’s a lot more fun,” Ryan O’Reilly said after Sunday’s win.
“It’s exciting. It’s fun coming to the rink. It was pretty dark there for awhile. Wasn’t fun by any means. It was tough. But give credit, everyone’s been working hard.”
“Let’s get this next one before the break. It’s going to be a heck of a challenge,” O’Reilly said of the matchup in Minnesota.
The Wild game will help clarify if Nashville’s recent improvements mean they are ready to compete with the best in the league. Nashville’s three most recent losses were against two of the top teams (Colorado and Carolina twice). The Wild are - somewhat surprisingly - also one of the NHL’s best teams right now.
A seven game win streak that was just snapped Sunday evening along with the impressive deal that brought Quinn Hughes to Minnesota show the Wild are in “win now” mode.
Their loss Sunday’s loss to the Avalanche could make the Wild even more dangerous tonight.
“It was a 5-1 game by Colorado. I was hoping just to get some sleep before I worried about Minnesota here a little bit,” Brunette said after Sunday’s game.
“I played there. Been there long enough to know the response is going to be, I mean, they’re excited,” he continued.
“It’s the last game before Christmas. We’ve got to be ready to go.”
The players know the Wild will be a big test. They have liked their play of late but recognize the need for improvements to get a win tonight.
“I think we’ve got to keep building on what we’re doing,” Filip Forsberg said. “Keep finding momentum.”
“Special teams could be better. The penalty kill has been phenomenal, but the power play I think we can definitely improve on.”
“I think for us to just stick to the simple stuff we’re doing well and getting rewarded for right now,” Forsberg said.
A good start will help, too.
“To start each period, I think we’re giving up to much,” Ryan O’Reilly said. “We just have to be a little simpler off that. I know for myself sometimes you want to make the good play or get possession, where you can be just a little more simple to start. Just simplify our way into the game.”
“We can clean up the starts and get right to work.”
Special teams, cleaner starts, and simplifying the game will be critical if the Predators hope to enter the Christmas break with a win over the Wild.
Tonight’s game will be a good measuring stick for a Predators team wanting to get back in the playoff mix.
“It’s going to be a great challenge for us,” Brunette said. “It’s going to test a lot of parts of our game that I think we’re building, and we’ll find out where we’re at.”
The Predators and Wild face off tonight at 7:00 pm CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Hulu and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.
