Peter Weber’s Postgame Report

Nashville Predators goalie Carter Hutton

Carter Hutton stopped all 29 shots he faced, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Minnesota Wild by a 3-0 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The victory was Nashville’s 20th of the season, and gave them a 3-1-0 record against the Wild as the season series came to a close.

“It was a huge game for us,” defenseman Roman Josi said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, but we got it done and Hutts did a great job; he was amazing in net.”

Eric Nystrom struck first for the Preds just 1:24 into the contest, when he redirected a Shea Weber point shot at the right face-off circle past Devan Dubnyk. The goal was Nystrom’s seventh of the season and his second in as many games.

That 1-0 score held through two periods, courtesy of a number of stellar stops from Hutton over the first 40 minutes, until the Preds earned a power play in the third. Josi followed up on his own rebound and roofed the puck over a sprawling Dubnyk for his 10th goal of the season to give Nashville a 2-0 lead. Ryan Johansen recorded an assist on the play, giving him seven points (2g-5a) in his first five games with the Predators.

Hutton and the Preds withstood one more final push from Minnesota to complete the victory, a win that felt even better considering the past stretch of outings for the Preds.

“It’s been tough,” Laviolette said. “It’s been frustrating. The guys have been playing hard, putting in a hard effort and aren’t seeing the results from it. So it’s good to get a win. It was a big division game, division win and home win. There were a lot of good things about it.”

The Preds also enjoyed being back in their own building after returning home from a four-game stretch, adding to the satisfaction of the win.

“The fans were great tonight,” Laviolette said. “The building was packed, and there was a lot of good energy in here. Sometimes when you play Minnesota, it’s a low-event game. At one point in the second period, with six or seven minutes to go, the shots were 17-15, or whatever they were. There was just not a lot of action and activity, but the fans stayed with us. It was a good night here.”

Home Cooking for Hutton:

Carter Hutton impressed the Nashville faithful in his first home start of the season by turning aside each and every one of the 29 pucks Minnesota threw his way on Saturday night. It was Hutton’s third career shutout and fourth win of the season.

Nashville’s backup netminder is now 4-2-1 on the campaign, continuing to give the Preds a solid option when Pekka Rinne gets the night off.

“It’s a team win,” Hutton said. “We had some big blocks, we had some big plays and our penalty kill was great. For me, I didn’t really waiver too much from last year to this year. I just keep working on my game when I get a chance to play, just do my best to help our team win.”

Hutton made a number of key saves throughout the contest, handing the Wild their second consecutive scoreless outing and giving the Preds two more key points in the Central Division standings.

“He was huge for us tonight,” Josi said. “Especially in the second period when we didn’t play that well and they out chanced us in that period, he made some huge saves. He’s been great all year; whenever he’s had to step in, he did a great job.”

“He was really good,” Laviolette said of Hutton. “If we’re being honest, we came out a little bit slow in the first 10 minutes. He had a lot of activity, and if he wasn’t sharp early on, then the game could have swung a different way.”

The Nashville Sounds Baseball Club will hold tryouts for their new dance team on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 at First Tennessee Park. The team is seeking individuals with prior dance experience to go along with enthusiastic and high-energy personalities for the new edition to their in-game entertainment.

A seasonal position for the 2016 season, dance team members will perform choreographed dances, greet fans as they enter First Tennessee Park, assist in distributing promotional giveaways and interact with the crowd during all 72 home games.

“The Nashville Sounds dance team is a very important part of the entertainment at First Tennessee Park,” said Mary Hegley, Director of Entertainment. “We’re not only looking for great dancers, but also individuals who bring high-energy and a positive attitude to every game of the 2016 season.”

WHO: Nashville Sounds Baseball Club

WHAT: 2016 Dance Team Tryouts

WHERE: First Tennessee Park

WHEN: Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. with tryouts taking place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Candidates must choose to attend one of two available tryout sessions. Registration will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. with auditions to follow from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Each candidate will perform a one minute routine of their choice with music from a CD, iPod or phone. After the first round of cuts, a choreographed routine will be taught to the remaining candidates from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Each candidate will perform the choreographed routine with final cuts to follow.

All candidates must be at least 18 years old and are required to bring a completed application from www.nashvillesounds.com. Other qualifications include being able to work nights, weekends and holidays. Candidates should wear dance attire with comfortable shoes and are encouraged to bring makeup/hair products, a towel and a bottle of water. Candidates may choose to bring a 4×6” photograph to the audition session they attend.

The 2016 season will be the Sounds’ 19th year in the Pacific Coast League and their second as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. The Sounds begin the season at First Tennessee Park when they host the Oklahoma City Dodgers on Thursday, April 7 at 6:35 p.m. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.