Avs Remain Confident Against Predators

The Colorado Avalanche is down 2-0 in its best-of-seven playoff series, but the team doesn't think that result is indicative of how it has played.
"I think we can play with these guys. A lot of times it is our own mistakes that have cost us," said Avs defenseman Mark Barberio. "When they get the lead they're a patient team, and they have the skill and ability to capitalize on mistakes."
"I wouldn't say any major adjustments, just things we need to touch up a little bit that we talked about," noted forward Tyson Jost. "We're confident on the ice and we've had a lot of chances, we just need to be able to bear down and make plays too. We realize that. We've talked about it the last couple days, and we know what we need to be better at."

That message has also been echoed by head coach Jared Bednar.
"I've loved our competitiveness, and the way we've come to play physical and not get pushed out of the game, and push back when it's called for within the play," Bednar said. "That part of our game in Game 1 and Game 2 has been as good as it has been all year, which tells me that we're a hungry team and we believe."
As the Avalanche gets ready to host Game 3 this evening against the Nashville Predators, it is clear that the club needs to find a way to bury its opportunities to get the win. A loss would put Colorado in a hole in the series that only a few NHL teams have ever come out of in the 100-year history of the league.
Just like when the Avs were last at home for the regular season finale on April 7 against the St. Louis Blues, they need to play with a do-or-die attitude tonight in their own barn.
"This is the biggest game of the season for us," Barberio said. "There is a big difference from being down 2-1 or being down 3-0. We have to come out with a lot of desperation. That is what you guys should be expecting tonight, a desperate hockey team."

Despite a 47-point improvement from the previous season, the Avalanche isn't just happy to be in the postseason. The team wants to make some noise, but it has yet to find a way to beat the league's best club during the regular season.
"It's one thing to get into the playoffs and say you've played two really good games against Nashville, they're the best team in the league. That's not what we're looking for," Bednar said. "We're looking for the result, and in order to get the result that we want against a team like Nashville, the fact is that they don't make a bunch of mistakes. We have to earn [it]. We've earned every scoring chance that we've got."
From a strategic standpoint, Colorado will get an advantage with it having the last change during even-strength play. That will give Bednar the chance to see which players the Predators deploy on the ice before picking his own.
"There is a lot that goes into the matchup side of things," Bednar said. "I think we can possibly help some of our other lines with what we do with our top line. So yeah, I think we have (taken advantage of the last change) all year at home and likely will tonight. That might not be a big concern for them, but it is a little bit of an advantage for us coming to home ice and getting the last change and the way we want to do things."

The pressure for the Avalanche to perform well is still present, but from a series perspective, the team feels like it has nothing to lose. No one picked Colorado to make the playoffs, and no one has picked the club to take down the Stanley Cup favorite Predators either.
"We know it's an important game, we don't have to harp on that," said Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog. "Even coming into the season, coming into these playoffs, we have a lot of pressure on ourselves but we feel like all the pressure is on them. They're the ones that are the Presidents' Trophy winners."

SPECIAL PLAY

Through the first two games of the series, Colorado and Nashville have played fairly evenly during 5-on-5 play.
It has been during special teams when the Predators have taken the advantage That was the difference in Game 2 on Saturday, when Nashville scored once on the power play and twice during 4-on-4 play in the 5-4 victory over Colorado.
"We've created our share of the scoring chances," Bednar said of his club's even-strength play. "I think we have three 5-on-5 goals, they have four through two games. Where we've come up a little short is some of the special-teams situations. We're down a goal 4-on-4. We're down a goal on the power play. So we have to be a little better in those other areas, but we also have to make sure that we're staying out of the box and playing 5-on-5, that's the most important."
Being disciplined will be key for the Avalanche after both teams took seven penalties each last game.
Colorado will likely get its chances again with the man advantage tonight, as Nashville was the most penalized team in the league during the regular season.

LINEUP NOTES

The Avalanche won't make any lineup changes for Game 3.
That means Samuel Girard will miss his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Game 2 in Nashville marked the first time that Girard had missed a contest with Colorado since being acquired in a three-team trade from the Predators on Nov. 5.
Goaltender Jonathan Bernier is expected to start for Colorado.