Predators beat Wild, keep up winning ways

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Predators' five-game road trip concluded Sunday with a 4-2 victory over the Wild.

Nashville finished the trip with a 4-1-0 record.

End of the road: Playing for the fifth time in nine days and the third time in four, the Predators were noticeably sluggish to start Sunday's game. They allowed a goal to Wild forward Mikael Granlund on the first shot of the game at the 2:18 mark, then fell behind 2-0 five minutes later, struggling to muster much momentum. Minnesota, for example, had a prolonged shift in the offensive zone later in the first period, even changing players as Nashville chased the puck.

Neal, Forsberg lead charge: The Predators' play in the second period was much stronger, starting with forward James Neal's goal, his second in three games and team-high 16th this season. Nashville took 10 shots in the middle period, with another 10 attempts either blocked by Minnesota, which had four shots, or missing the net. Predators forward Filip Forsberg netted his 10th and 11th goals in 17 games to even the score early in the third period and give Nashville its first lead with 6:36 left.

Road trip recap: Road trips, particularly long ones, can uncover a lot about a team. In the Predators' case, they needed a decent showing to continue clawing up the standings. The Predators left for the trip outside of the Western playoff picture but return to Nashville in possession of third place in the Central Division. Having won six of seven overall, the Predators are playing their best hockey of the season.

Laviolette’s milestone: Sunday’s win was the 500th of Predators coach Peter Laviolette’s NHL career. He is the 12th active NHL coach and 25th overall to reach that mark. Laviolette also is the second-winningest American-born coach in league history, trailing Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. Laviolette is 500-351-119 overall and 111-69-31 with the Predators

Up next: With their longest remaining road trip of the season over, the Predators return home for two games before the NHL All-Star break, starting with a Tuesday matchup against the Sabres at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m., Fox TN/102.5-FM).

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.