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Nashville (27-26-3) is in 11th place in the tightly contested West, but has gone 7-3-0 since the All-Star break to give it a chance to extend its streak of four straight playoff appearances. A 3-2 shootout win over league-leading Boston on Saturday provided a big boost to the Predators' confidence.
"You just have to look at the standings to realize how big every point is," Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "You can see our guys smiling. There is a good atmosphere in the locker room. If we just stick together we know we can do it. That's good."
Despite winning four in a row, Ottawa (21-25-8) faces much longer odds. The Senators are 4-1-1 since Cory Clouston replaced the fired Craig Hartsburg as coach, but they're 12th in the East and nine points behind 10th-place Pittsburgh.
Still, Ottawa is also confident after playing so poorly under Hartsburg.
"They're a group that believes right now," Clouston said. "We've been down a couple times in the last few games and we've been able to squeak out some points. All the credit goes to those guys. They went out and executed and got results."
Nashville (27-26-3) is in 11th place in the tightly contested West, but has gone 7-3-0 since the All-Star break to give it a chance to extend its streak of four straight playoff appearances. A 3-2 shootout win over league-leading Boston on Saturday provided a big boost to the Predators' confidence.
"You just have to look at the standings to realize how big every point is," Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne said. "You can see our guys smiling. There is a good atmosphere in the locker room. If we just stick together we know we can do it. That's good."
Despite winning four in a row, Ottawa (21-25-8) faces much longer odds. The Senators are 4-1-1 since Cory Clouston replaced the fired Craig Hartsburg as coach, but they're 12th in the East and nine points behind 10th-place Pittsburgh.
Still, Ottawa is also confident after playing so poorly under Hartsburg.
"They're a group that believes right now," Clouston said. "We've been down a couple times in the last few games and we've been able to squeak out some points. All the credit goes to those guys. They went out and executed and got results."
