NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Predators are back on home ice Wednesday night for Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal with the Phoenix Coyotes.
The puck drops at 8 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena. The team is banking on a win, as they are already down 0-2 in the series after losing both games in Phoenix.
The Predators flew home Monday. The team was so confident after ousting the Detroit Red Wings in just five games that they let the opener slip away in overtime in the desert, and then the Predators made mistake after mistake in losing Game 2 on Sunday night 5-3.
Forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn will be on the bench for the game. On Tuesday, the team announced they were suspended for violated unspecified team rules.
Radulov was criticized for his performance in Sunday night's 5-3 loss at Phoenix. Radulov rejoined Nashville in March after spending the past four years in Russia. He has six points.
The Predators were sixth in the NHL at home in the regular season with a 26-10-5 record. They also outscored opponents 124-103 on home ice.
(The Associated Press Contributed To This Report.)
