Avs Wrap Up Central Trip at Predators
Colorado in Nashville for afternoon game
by ColoradoAvalanche.com / Official site of the Avs
Colorado Avalanche's Danielle Bernstein contributed this story
The Colorado Avalanche plays the second game of a back-to-back set against the Central Division-leading Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon.
It is the last of four meetings between the Central Division foes this season and the second of two in the Music City. Colorado is 1-2-0 against the Predators this season with their win coming in Nashville on Nov. 27.
Last Time Out
J.T. Compher registered a career-high three points and Carl Soderberg scored two goals to lead the Avalanche to a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday at United Center. Gabriel Landeskog and Patrik Nemeth also had multi-point games for the Avs, who won their third straight contest. Colorado was 1-for-4 on the power play, and Semyon Varlamov finished with 41 saves.
The Predators moved into first place in the Central Division with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. Defenseman Roman Josi paced Nashville with a goal and an assist, while Pekka Rinne finished with 28 saves. Kyle Turris also scored for the Predators, who finished 1-for-3 on the power play while holding the Kings scoreless on three man-advantage opportunities.
Last Time They Met
Nashville won the last meeting 4-1 on Jan. 21 in Denver. The game was scoreless after 20 minutes of play, but Nashville held a 3-1 lead after two periods. Alexander Kerfoot scored for the Avalanche, while Nick Bonino, Viktor Arvidsson, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis found the back of the net for the Predators. Pekka Rinne stopped 35 shots, while Semyon Varlamov finished with 23 saves.
What to Watch
Third Period Scoring
The Avs have scored eight goals in the third period over their last two games and have now tallied 81 goals in the final frame of regulation, ranked second in the NHL in third-period scoring (Calgary, 89).
Shorthanded On the Road
The Avalanche has now scored nine short-handed goals this season, tied for third in the league and the most short-handed markers for Colorado since the 2005-06 campaign (11). Colorado's eight shories on the road in 2018-19 ranks second in the NHL (Calgary, 10) and is the second-most since the club relocated to Denver (nine, 1995-96).
Player to Watch
Colorado: Center Carl Soderberg
Soderberg had a multi-point performance for the second straight game on Friday and has three goals and two assists in that time period. His two goals against Chicago brought his season total to 21, the first time in his career he has surpassed the 20-goal threshold. He now has 39 points this season, his most since the 2015-16 campaign with the Avalanche.
Nashville: Defenseman Roman Josi
Josi netted two points in Nashville's win over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday and has scored the game-winning tally for the Predators in consecutive outings. He has points (five goals, 11 assists) in 12 straight regular-season games against the Avalanche, including four multi-point performances.
The Details
Puck drop between the Avalanche and the Predators is slated for 3:30 p.m. MT. The game can be watched live on Altitude TV and the radio broadcast is on Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM.