Music: {allcanada} Edmonton (15-29-8) at Nashville (28-18-7)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

{allcanada} Edmonton (15-29-8) at Nashville (28-18-7)

Game info: 8:00 pm EST Mon Feb 7, 2011
TV: RSNE

Special teams were the key to the Nashville Predators' last victory. The Edmonton Oilers continue to struggle with that part of their game.

Nashville looks to build off its first victory in nearly two weeks on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena, where it will try to win its fifth straight over the Oilers.

Since going 3 for 34 on the power play during a nine-game stretch from Jan. 11-26, Nashville (28-18-7) has converted 3 of 10 with the man advantage over the last three games.

The Predators' penalty kill has also performed well, negating 24 of 27 chances in the last seven contests. They killed off all five of Detroit's power-play opportunities in Saturday's 3-0 victory, including a 5-on-3 chance that lasted two minutes in the second period.

"The guys that were out there did a great job in terms of the battle," Predators coach Barry Trotz said after his club snapped a four-game skid. "We forced them to make a couple of unforced errors, got a save, a big draw and a couple of whistles. Those all count and eliminate that power play."

Nashville is not overlooking the Western Conference-worst Oilers (15-29-8) as a key road game with Central Division-leading Detroit looms Wednesday.

"They're a very dangerous hockey club, and they've got (Ales) Hemsky and (Jordan) Eberle back in their lineup (from injuries)," said Trotz, whose team trails the Red Wings by five points, about Edmonton.

The Oilers, though, have a conference-low 128 goals and are last in the NHL with the man advantage at 12.0 percent. Tom Renney's club has been far worse over the last 19 games, converting just 3 of 71 power-play chances (4.2 percent) after going 0 for 5 in Saturday's 4-3 loss at Columbus.

"Our power play killed us, no question about that," said Renney, whose team has dropped 20 of 24. "But we were still in the hockey game. Then we handed it back in the third period with some bad decisions."

Edmonton, which has lost 10 of 12 on the road, will try to make better choices as it concludes a three-game trip. In their last visit to Nashville, the Oilers fell 4-3 on March 2 as Pekka Rinne (notes) preserved the Nashville victory by making 11 of his 22 saves in the final 20 minutes.

Rinne, who earned his fourth shutout of the season Saturday by stopping 35 shots, is 6-1-1 with a 3.22 goals-against average in eight starts versus the Oilers. Rinne, though, admitted he was lucky in a 3-2 shootout victory in Edmonton on Jan. 23 when his unattended stick stopped a Shawn Horcoff (notes) shot in overtime.

Nashville has won 15 of 17 against Edmonton since the start of the 2006-07 season.

If Nikolai Khabibulin (notes) gets the start in net for the Oilers, it will be his first against the Predators since joining the club prior to last season.

Khabibulin is 5-0-1 with a 1.48 GAA in his last six starts versus Nashville - all with Chicago - but the veteran netminder has a 3.45 GAA while losing his last 13 starts.

Devan Dubnyk (notes) turned away 26 of 28 shots in last month's loss to the Predators.