Rowdy Nashville Crowd Doesn't Faze Avs

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--The Colorado Avalanche knows the crowd at Bridgestone Arena is going to be loud, and it's going to be a hostile environment for the road club.
The building has become one of the best atmospheres in the NHL to play in, and the Avs are looking to use that to their advantage.
"I think when you're a player and competitor, you want to play in an energized building that is loud," said Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. "As the road team you got to feed off of it, and as the home team you got to feed off of it. I think that is why it is so fun to play, when the fans are into it and the everyone in the building is energized and you can feel the intensity in the building."

From catfish being thrown onto the ice, chants that could be more appropriate for a soccer match than ice hockey and the type of entertainment that only Music City can provide, the Nashville Predators' faithful have made a name for themselves as one the rowdiest crowds in the league.
Bridgestone Arena has become a tough place to play for visiting players, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
"I've talked to guys, (Jonathan) Bernier and (Matt) Nieto, they've played against [the Preds] during playoff series, even though they weren't being cheered for, they were using that energy," said Avalanche forward Colin Wilson, who played for Nashville for eight seasons and made the postseason in six of those. "It's an exciting building to play in, whether the fans are cheering for you or they're not, so get lost in the experience."
The energetic atmosphere in "Smashville" has been years in the making, but the Preds' fan base really put itself on the map last season during the team's trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
"We know from watching it last year, this building gets rocking," said Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie. "So it will be a good test for us, but I think we can feed off that too. We have a lot of guys that haven't been in the playoffs and a lot of guys who haven't been there for a long time, so we'll be just as excited."
Avalanche rookie Alexander Kerfoot is one of those players that will be making their postseason debut, as he is among 14 Colorado players--half of the team's active roster--that have yet to play Stanley Cup Playoff hockey.
"I think we can kind of channel some of that energy. Obviously, you love to play in environments like that, big stages. When the fans are into it, it makes it that much more fun," Kerfoot said. "I think you can't get too high or too low. We can kind of use that energy and feed off of it. There is going to be no shortage of energy here tonight."
While this evening's matchup is Game 1 of the first-round series, it will be more like the second playoff contest for Colorado. The Avalanche had to win its regular-season finale last Saturday against the St. Louis Blues to make the postseason, and the club produced maybe its most-complete outing of the year in the 5-2 victory.
Colorado got a boost from its home crowd at Pepsi Center in that game, and that, coupled with having recently played desperate hockey, might be a benefit for the Avs tonight. The players can jump right into the intensity and pace of play that comes with games in mid-April.
"I think there is a lot of excitement obviously, but I think that last game we played a home might have helped us for this," Barrie said. "There was so many nerves and excitement for that game that going into this we feel a little more comfortable maybe. Obviously, it's just morning skate, but you can tell the boys are excited, and it will be electric tonight."

JUST A REGULAR DAY, KIND OF

Morning skates are typical on most game days, but this one had a special feel to it as the Stanley Cup Playoffs have arrived.
If the day didn't feel different before the pregame skate, the players sure noticed it when they took the ice as yellow towels had been placed on each of the 17,113 seats at Bridgestone Arena for fans for tonight's game.

Colin Wilson has played the most playoff games among Colorado players with 47, and he said postseason memories of the past came back to him for the team's opening-round matchup.
"It kind of all started to come back to me this morning," Wilson said. "Being out there, realizing the situation, the excitement around the game."
Kerfoot, who will play his playoff debut tonight, noted that the realization that it was time to begin the NHL's second season happened for him the previous night as three other Stanley Cup Playoff series got underway.
"We were watching some of the games last night and obviously playoff hockey is a different animal," Kerfoot said. "I don't know what to expect, I've never played in it before. I think some of the guys that have had some experience have been able to share of it with us, and it's going to be a lot of fun."

LINEUP NOTES

David Warsofsky will return to the Colorado Avalanche lineup after not playing in the regular-season finale on Saturday versus the St. Louis Blues. He will replace Mark Alt on a defensive pairing with Mark Barberio.
"I liked the way he skates and his puck-moving ability," Bednar said of Warsofsky. "I think he adds an elusiveness back there that can help us get in and out of our zone."
Jonathan Bernier will get the start in net for Colorado. He played in four playoff games last year as a member of the Anaheim Ducks, including appearing in two contests against the Predators in the Western Conference Final.
Here are tonight's projected lineups.