Avalanche Begins Back-To-Back at Predators

The Colorado Avalanche (13-6-4) takes on the Nashville Predators (17-6-1) at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday. It is the second of four meetings between the squads this year as each team will host each other one more time later this season.
Colorado holds a 31-36-12 all-time record against Nashville, which includes a 13-18-7 mark when playing on the road. The teams battled in the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Predators were victorious in six games before eventually falling to the Winnipeg Jets in the second round.

The Avalanche completes its second consecutive back-to-back set against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at Pepsi Center.

Last Time Out

The Avs rallied late in the third period to win 3-2 over the Dallas Stars on Saturday. After a scoreless first frame, Nathan MacKinnon recorded the first goal of the night in the second, generating a lead for Colorado that held until halfway through the final stanza. The Stars notched two markers in the final 10 minutes of the third period, but Colorado was not down for long. J.T. Compher and Mikko Rantanen scored within 46 seconds of each other to lift the Avs over Dallas. The Avs outshot the Stars 36-29 while goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 27 saves.
Nashville beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Sunday led by Austin Watson who recorded his first-career NHL hat trick in the win. Nick Bonino and Craig Smith also scored for the Preds while Colton Sissons and Roman Josi each recorded two assists. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne stopped 17-of-19 shots.

Last Time They Met

The Avalanche fell 4-1 to Nashville in the last outing between the clubs at Pepsi Center on Nov. 7. Matt Calvert converted on a power play in the second period, but it was not enough to stop the Predators. Colton Sissons recorded a hat trick and Ryan Hartman sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Colorado played a physical game, outhitting the Predators 28-12 while Semyon Varlamov made 30 saves in net.

What To Watch

Goals Galore
The Avalanche stands third in the NHL for goals scored, having notched 86 so far in the 2018-19 campaign. The Colorado squad has registered an average of 3.74 tallies per game, and the team has netted at least three goals in eight games this month. The Avs are also tied for the league lead in both power-play goals with 24 (Tampa Bay Lightning) and in goals scored during the third period with 35 (Calgary Flames).
Top Trio
The Avalanche's top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have generated a combined 99 points (39 goals, 60 assists) in 23 games, marking them as the highest-producing threesome in the NHL. The trio has factored on 55-percent of all goals scored by the Avalanche this season, and 30 tallies have included involvement from both MacKinnon and Rantanen. Those two forwards have posted four straight multi-point performances and rank first and second in the league in total points scored (38 for Rantanen, 35 for MacKinnon). MacKinnon (15) and Landeskog (14) both land in the NHL's top-10 in goals scored.

Players To Watch

Colorado: Left Wing J.T. Compher
After missing 16 games with a head injury, J.T. Compher has notched three goals in two games since his return to game action with the Avalanche. The forward is averaging a point-per-game, having recorded seven points (six goals, one assist) in seven matches this campaign. Despite his absence, the 23-year-old stands tied for fifth on the team in goals and leads the Avalanche in short-handed tallies after he netted two against the Arizona Coyotes in his first battle back.
Nashville: Goaltender Pekka Rinne
With 10 wins so far on the season, Pekka Rinne lands fourth in the NHL in the category. Rinne's .942 save percentage and 1.68 goals-against average lead the league for all goaltenders who have played more than one game.

The Details

Tuesday's matchup between the Avalanche and the Predators is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT. The game can be watched live locally on Altitude 2 or streamed on select devices with the Altitude Now app (in market) or NHL.tv (out of market). The radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5 in the Denver area or online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.