The Nashville Predators peppered Mackenzie Blackwood with 39 shots in his debut with his new team, but the netminder stood tall to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-2 win over Nashville Saturday at Ball Arena.
A two-goal rally by the Predators in the third period brought them within one, but a pair of empty-net goals by the Avalanche padded their lead and allowed them to secure the win.
Juuse Saros made 29 saves in goal for the Predators, who move to 8-17-6 on the season with the loss.
How the Predators lined up vs. Colorado
Forsberg – Stamkos – Marchessault
L’Heureux – O’Reilly – Nyquist
Jankowski – Novak – Evangelista
Smith – McCarron – Sissons
Skjei – Blankenburg
Del Gaizo – Schenn
Gravel – Wilsby
Saros
Annunen
Extra: Pärssinen, Svechkov, Carrier, Lauzon, Josi
Roman Josi, who left Tuesday’s game after the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return, missed his second consecutive and is listed as day-to-day. The Predators recalled defenseman Kevin Gravel from the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals Thursday to take Josi’s place in the lineup.
Alexandre Carrier (upper-body) was moved to Injured Reserve to make room for Gravel on Nashville’s roster. Additionally, Jeremy Lauzon remains on IR with a lower-body injury.
Game Summary
Neither team found the scoresheet in the first period, but the Predators’ top line of Steven Stamkos, Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault generated multiple quality chances, forcing new Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to make a number of big saves.
Just over halfway through the second period, Gravel lost his stick, creating space for Casey Mittelstadt to feed the puck into the slot from the behind the net for Ross Colton to shoot it over Saros’ pads to make it 1-0, Avalanche.
Marc Del Gaizo made a critical defensive zone turnover late in the period, allowing Mikko Rantanen to find Nathan MacKinnon for Colorado’s second goal of the game just before the second intermission.
Artturi Lehkonen extended Colorado’s lead to 3-0 early in the third period with a wrist shot from the top of the face-off circle. Stamkos kicked off Nashville’s rally nearly 10 minutes later, finally breaking through on the Predators’ 38th shot of the night to cut Colorado’s lead to 3-1.
Just two minutes later, Luke Evangelista made a slick play to cut across the slot and backhand a shot into the back of the net. The play was reviewed by officials because Colton slid into the post and knocked the net off its moorings, but the goal was upheld to bring Nashville within one.
The late rally would not be enough, however, as MacKinnon and Lehkonen each scored into the empty net for the 5-2 final.
Key Takeaways & Notes
-
Marchessault left the game temporarily in the second period after taking a shot to the face by Zachary L’Heureux. He returned later in the period.
-
Stamkos has points in each of the three games in which he has centered the Predators’ top line between Marchessault and Forsberg.
Up Next
The Predators return home to host the New York Rangers Monday at Bridgestone Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers in the United States.
Visit The Hockey News Nashville Predators team site to stay updated on the latest news, game day coverage, player features, podcasts and more.
Recent Predators News
Related: Nashville Predators Snap 8-Game Skid with 4-1 Defeat of Dallas Stars
Related: Nashville Predators Recall Kevin Gravel from AHL Milwaukee After Roman Josi Injury
