The Predators are closing out January with a stretch of six of eight road games leading up to the nine-day break in early February. The league’s All-Star break goes from Feb. 1-4, and then the Predators bye week kicks in after that until they return to the ice Feb. 9.

First Period

The Predators travel to Arizona on the campus of Arizona State University for a matinee Saturday afternoon against the Coyotes. After a strong start to the season, the Coyotes have trailed off and are falling behind several teams in the Western Conference wild card race. The Predators and Coyotes have met once this season, a wild 7-5 Coyotes win in Nashville back in mid-November.

Second Period

The Predators return to Nashville for a rare Monday home game when the Florida Panthers pay a visit to Bridgestone Arena. It will be the first meeting of the season against the Panthers, who surprised the hockey world by reaching the Stanley Cup Final last season. Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk possesses a unique combination of skill and sandpaper, and he specializes in getting under the skin of his opponents. He’s frequently seen trash-talking opponents with his mouthguard half hanging out of his mouth.

Third Period

After a couple of days off, the Predators travel to Minnesota Thursday. The Wild enjoyed some success after making a coaching change earlier in the season when they replaced Dean Evason with former Predators coach John Hynes, but the Wild have struggled mightily of late and have slipped in the standings as well. Hynes’ Wild dominated the Predators in the teams’ last meeting, with Minnesota winning 6-1 Nov. 30 in Nashville in Hynes’ second game behind the Wild bench.