The forward practiced Sunday after missing the third period of a 7-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Erik Johnson, who sustained a concussion in the first period against the Kings, is expected to miss the next two games for Colorado, which is 2-1-0 in its past three games after losing nine of the previous 10 (1-7-2). Peter Laviolette will try to become the 20th coach in NHL history and the second born in the United States to reach 600 wins. Laviolette is 599-399-114 with 25 ties in 1,137 games, including 210-117-51 with the Predators. John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets became the first U.S.-born coach to reach the milestone Jan. 10; he is 603-479-104 with 37 ties in 1,223 games. Nashville has lost two games in a row and four of its past five (1-3-1) after going 5-0-1 in its previous six games.
Players to watch
Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his past 12 games. Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie had three assists against the Kings and has five assists in a three-game point streak.
They said it
"We feel games out, don't compete enough right away, and then we have to play catch up. When we turn it on, we're really hard to play with, but in this League, it's too little too late sometimes." -- Predators forward Nick Bonino "Sigh of relief for everyone, including me. Mikko's such a big part of our team. He felt good this morning and wanted to practice, so he'll be in (Monday)." -- Avalanche coach Jared Bednar
