Avalanche Complete Comeback in 3-2 OT Win Over Predators

Heading into the holiday break with a 'W.'
After trailing 2-0, the Colorado Avalanche completed the comeback to secure two points in a triumphant 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena. Colorado is now 19-11-2 on the season. The Avalanche have now won four-straight games and six of their last seven games.

For the Avalanche, Samuel Girard scored the overtime winner as Mikko Rantanen (1G, 1A) and J.T. Compher scored in regulation. In net, Alexandar Georgiev made 38 saves on 40 shots.
For the Predators, Ryan Johansen netted a power-play goal while former Avalanche forward Matt Duchene also scored. Between the pipes, Juuse Saros made 43 saves on 46 shots.

GAME SUMMARY:

First period:
12:26 - NSH 1, COL 0, PPG -Rantanen was assessed with tripping at 11:38 which put Nashville on its first power play. The Predators cycled the puck around the zone and Roman Josi flung a long-range shot from the point on net. The puck trickled through traffic as Thomas Novak got a touch on it and the rebound kicked out to the backdoor where Johansen stretched out to redirect it into the net for the game's icebreaker.
Second period:
6:22 - NSH 2, COL 0 -The Predators doubled their lead as they prevented the Avalanche from exiting their zone with Nino Niederreiter intercepting an attempted rim of the puck around the boards. Niederreiter quickly fed Cody Glass down at the half wall, who threaded a pass across the slot to Duchene. At the backdoor, Duchene one-timed the puck past Georgiev.

12:46 - NSH 2, COL 1 -Colorado trimmed its deficit down to one goal on a nice forechecking sequence. Logan O'Connor stripped Dante Fabbro of the puck along the boards and dropped a pass into the right faceoff circle for Rantanen. The Finnish winger walked in with time and space and roofed his shot just under the crossbar past Saros.
Third period:
15:05 - COL 2, NSH 2 -Late in the third period, the Avalanche secured the 2-2 equalizer with a goal from Compher. Colorado executed a dynamic offensive zone shift as they implemented quick passing. Rantanen skated towards the top of the right faceoff circle before dropping the puck to Artturi Lehkonen. From distance, Lehkonen wired a high wrist shot to the net front where Compher tipped the puck past Saros for the equalizer.

Overtime:
4:17 - COL 3, NSH 2 -On a two-on-one rush, Evan Rodgrigues skated the puck coast-to-coast before feeding Girard across the slot. The defenseman wired his shot past Saros to seal the two-point victory for the Avalanche.

NOTEWORTHY:

• Rantanen buried his team-leading 23rd goal of the season and now has four goals in his last five games.
• Compher scored his fifth goal of the season.
• Girard tallied his second goal of the season and first-career overtime winner. The goal was also his first game-winning goal of the 2022-23 campaign.
• Georgiev made his 23rd start of the season and improved his record to 15-6-2.
• Valeri Nichushkin left the game and did not return. The winger suffered a lower-body, per the team. The Russian winger logged 13:31 minutes, fired off two shots on net and threw one hit.
• Colorado finished the game 0-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
• Nathan MacKinnon (upper body) and Andrew Cogliano (upper body) were scratches for the Avalanche.

NEXT GAME:

The Avalanche will take a few days off for the NHL holiday break before resuming the season with a game in Arizona on Dec. 27. The puck drops between the Avs and Coyotes at 7 p.m. MT.