Respectable defense plus little to no offense equaled another close loss for the Wild, this time 2-1 to the Predators on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena to extend their struggles against their Central Division rival.
Not only have the Wild dropped four of their last six vs. the Predators and nine of 11, but they fell to 1-6-2 during their past nine trips to Nashville.
How the Wild lost
The Predators scored twice in 44 seconds during the first period, an efficient head start that was enough to outlast the visitors.
Goaltender Juuse Saros made 33 saves, improving to 5-1 in his career against the Wild.
Former Wild forward Nino Niederreiter snuck in uncontested to lift a rising backhander by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury at 11:20 for his team-leading seventh goal before Matt Duchene converted on the power play with a one-timer after assisting on Niederreiter's goal. Ryan Johansen set up both Nashville tallies.
Duchene's finish was the first power-play goal given up by the Wild in five games, snapping a spotless 16-for-16 run by the penalty kill. But the unit rebounded, stopping the next three tries for the Predators to go 4 for 5.
Fleury totaled 23 saves.
Turning point
Duchene's goal stung the Wild.
That meant they would need to score at least three goals to move ahead of Nashville, a rare feat of late; only once in the Wild's previous five games did they net more than three.
They had a plump opportunity on the power play before the first period ended, getting a four-minute look after Brandon Duhaime was high-sticked in his return from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for five games, but the team failed to capitalize after putting four shots on net.
Not until the third did the Wild finally spoil Nashville's shutout bid.
Just 32 seconds into the period, Frederick Gaudreau slipped a shot through Saros off the rush for his third goal of the season and second in as many games. His linemates Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello each picked up assists to push their individual point streaks to four games.
With their deficit cut in half, the Wild went to the power play seeking the equalizer after another high-sticking call against the Predators. But like before, the unit didn't provide the lift the team needed.
Overall, the power play went 0 for 5 and has now gone goalless in three straight games (0 for 10) after an impressive debut.
As for the offense as a whole, the Wild have eight goals over their last six games while surrendering 10 regulation goals.
What it means
The Wild have played well on the road this season, winning more than twice as many games away as they have at home, but Nashville is a tough stop for them.
Not since Dec. 15, 2016, have the Wild won in regulation at Bridgestone Arena; over those 11 games, the Wild were victorious in overtime just twice.
Regardless of the address, the points up for grabs when the Wild and Predators face off are key and could dictate seeding in the Central Division. Their next meeting isn't until February in Minnesota before the Wild return to Nashville for their regular-season finale.
More pressing for the Wild is a lengthy homestand that kicks off on Thursday.
With only two wins at Xcel Energy Center, the team's performance on home ice has been a work in progress.
This seven-game stint in St. Paul, which is tied for the longest home stretch of the season, is a perfect chance to build some momentum. But the schedule is challenging: Four of the Wild's seven opponents have more victories than they do.
———
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
