Game Preview: Avalanche vs. Predators

COLORADO AVALANCHE (15-11-2) VS NASHVILLE PREDATORS (12-12-4)
7 PM MT | BALL ARENAWATCH:ALTITUDELISTEN: 92.5FM/950 AM
The Colorado Avalanche take on Central Division rival Nashville Predators in a Saturday night showdown. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. MT on Altitude at Ball Arena.

LAST TIME OUT

The Avs will try to get back in the win column after falling to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 Thursday night. After being down 3-0 entering the third, Mikko Rantanen scored his 20th goal of the season 8:20 into the period. With the Avs gaining momentum and the goalie pulled, Evan Rodrigues found the back of the net at 18:38 in his first game back after missing the last nine contests due to a lower-body injury. Buffalo went on the thwart the comeback with an empty net goal at 19:02.
The Predators enter Saturday's matchup after suffering their fifth-consecutive loss on Thursday as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime, 2-1. Filip Forsberg scored the lone goal for the Preds. Juuse Saros, a 2021-22 Vezina Trophy finalist, earned the game's First Star after saving 39 of 41 shots.

HISTORY

Colorado owns a 37-38-14 all-time mark versus Nashville, with a 21-19-6 record at home against the Preds.
Saturday's contest is the second time the two Central Division foes have met this season, with the final two contests both in the Music City on Dec. 23 and April 14 (rescheduled from Nov. 25). In the first meeting on Nov. 10, Logan O'Connor and Mikko Rantanen each recorded two-goal nights and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 32 shots to help Colorado defeat Nashville 5-3 at Ball Arena.

SCOUTING THE PREDATORS

Forward Filip Forsberg paces the Preds in scoring with 25 points (9G, 16A). Defenseman Roman Josi and former Av forward Matt Duchene follow in second and third with 23 (6G, 17A) and 22 points, respectively.
Josi (146G, 419A in 788 GP) is one point away from tying David Legwand's 566 points (210G, 356A in 956 GP) for the most points in Predators franchise history.
Juuse Saros holds a 9-8-4 record this season, along with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

LINEUP UPDATES

Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnonUpper body
Gabriel Landeskog Lower body
Darren Helm Lower body
Bowen ByramLower body
Shane BowersUpper body
Kurtis MacDermidLower body
Josh MansonLower body

DOING THE MOST

Mikko Rantanen leads all active Colorado skaters with 18 points (8G, 10A) against the Predators franchise.
Alexandar Georgiev holds a 2-2-0 record versus Nashville in his career, notching a .930 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average.

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Roman Josi is the all-time points leader against the Avalanche franchise for Nashville with 39 points (14G, 25A).

NUMBERS GAME

6
Mikko Rantanen tallied his sixth 20-goal season after finding the back of the net versus Buffalo. Rantanen is tied with Paul Stastny and Peter Forsberg for the fifth-most, 20-goal campaigns since the team relocated to Denver in 1995-96.
48
Colorado won 48 faceoffs versus Buffalo, which is the club's most in a game since Jan. 6, 2017 vs. NY Islanders (48 FO won).
25
J.T. Compher won a career-high 25 faceoffs (25-of-35) against Buffalo, tied for third-most in a single game for the Avs franchise since the stat began tracking in 1997-98.

QUOTES THAT LEFT A MARK

"[I] felt better as the game went on. Little rusty in the first, but I think as the game went on I got my legs underneath me. Started to play a little bit smarter and thought I ended the game pretty well." -Evan Rodrigues on returning to the lineup after missing nine games