NASHVILLE PREDATORS (43-26-4) AT COLORADO AVALANCHE (46-21-6)
4:00 PM MDT | BALL ARENA | WATCH: ALTITUDE TV | LISTEN: 92.5 FM
The Avalanche take on the Predators Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena. The Avs are 11-2-1 in their past 14 contests. Colorado is 2-1-1 in this current homestand and have earned points in seven of their past eight home games. They sit second in the Central Division with 98 points and a game in hand on Dallas (101 points). Nashville is 16-1-2 in its past 19 contests. The Predators rank fourth in the Central Division after accumulating 90 points. Since February 14, the Preds are tied with the Hurricanes for the most points in the NHL earned in that span (34).
Latest Results:
March 28, 2024 NYR: 3 COL: 2 (SO)
March 28, 2024 ARI: 8 NAS: 4
KNOCKED BY NEW YORK
The Avalanche fell to the Rangers 3-2 in a shootout Thursday night at Ball Arena. Colorado opened the scoring in the second period when Casey Mittelstadt found the back of the net with 33 seconds to go. The Rangers tied the game early in the final frame getting a tally from Kaapo Kakko. New York took the lead with a power-play tally from Chris Kreider. Devon Toews knotted the game at two off of a point shot. Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck each scored in the shootout to secure the extra point for the Rangers.
AVS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Nathan MacKinnon’s point streak and season-opening home point streak concluded at 19 and 35 games, respectively. The 35-game home point streak is the second-longest in NHL history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game run when he found the scoresheet in every home game during the 1988-89 season.
Alexandar Georgiev stopped 23-of-25 shots but saw his six-game win streak come to an end. His pair of six-game runs this season mark his career-best. In his last seven games, the netminder maintained his .924 SV% he entered with since March 6 and lowered his GAA to 2.08 since that date.
Toews established a three-game point streak with a goal in the third period. He’s registered 1g/3a in that span. The marker was his 12th of the campaign, one shy of his career-best set in 2021-22.
HISTORY
The Avalanche own a 40-40-5-9 all-time record against the Predators, and a 22-19-2-4 mark at home. Colorado is 9-5-2 in the past 16 matchups with them, outscoring the Preds 57-50. The Avalanche are 4-1-0 since 2019-20 at Ball Arena against the Predators.
YIPS AGAINST THE YOTES
The Predators lost in regulation for the first time in their past 19 games to the Arizona Coyotes 8-4 Thursday night at Mullett Arena. Jason Zucker struck twice in the first period to kick off the scoring for Nashville. Arizona returned the favor with goals from Jack McBain and Logan Cooley before the first intermission to level the game at two. Clayton Keller scored on the power play in the middle frame and just a minute later Cooley tallied his second of the night. Nashville cut into the lead when Gustav Nyquist lit the lamp on the power play. Nick Bjugstad and Nick Schmaltz extended the lead to 6-3 in favor of Arizona heading into the final frame. Arizona enhanced their lead when Matias Maccelli potted an empty-net goal. Filip Forsberg recorded his 41st goal of the season (power play) to cut the lead to three. Cooley completed his hat trick with 1:32 left in the game on an empty net to secure the 8-4 win.
STATS TO KNOW
MacKinnon has recorded 36 career points (14g/22a) against the Predators. It is tied for the sixth-most points posted against Nashville among all active NHL skaters.
Rantanen has recorded over a point per game in his career against the Preds. The winger has tallied 24 points (10g/14a) in 23 games played against Nashville.
The former Predator Yakov Trenin will face his former club for the first time since being acquired by the Avs this season on March 7. He has tallied 11 goals and four assists in 2023-24 between the two clubs.
KNOWING NASHVILLE
Filip Forsberg has scored the ninth-most goals this season among all NHL players. He is two points away from eclipsing his career-high of 84 points in 2021-22.
Roman Josi leads all NHL blueliners in goals this campaign with 19. He has recorded the most points by any Swiss born NHL player in league history (677).
Since the 2021-22 season, Juuse Saros has accumulated the second-most wins of any NHL goalie, racking up 105 victories.
NUMBERS GAME
9
MacKinnon ranks fourth among all NHL skaters with nine game-winning goals this season.
24.3
The Avs power play has clicked at the sixth-highest percentage of any team this season (24.3%).
32
Jonathan Drouin has tallied 32 assists this campaign. He is just four away from surpassing his career-high (35 in 2018-19).
QUOTE(S) THAT LEFT A MARK
“Defensively they are such a good team and we matched that and played really smart hockey for pretty much the whole game. It’s fun having 1-1 and 2-1 scores not 5-4.”
- Colorado G Alexandar Georgiev Thursdays game
