MacKinnon has 2 goals, 2 assists, Avalanche top Predators to clinch playoff berth

DENVER -- Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and two assists, and the Colorado Avalanche clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 7-4 comeback win against the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena on Saturday.

The Avalanche have qualified for the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons.

“That's the goal, right? Get in the playoffs and give yourselves a chance,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “So it just shows the dedication, the hard work that all the guys are putting into every season and trying to keep improving from the season before. Yep, feels good.”

Cale Makar had a goal and two assists, Mikko Rantanen had three assists, and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche (47-21-6), who had lost two straight. Justus Annunen stopped all 22 shots he faced after relieving Alexandar Georgiev at 57 seconds of the second period.

The Avalanche remained three points behind the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division. Dallas won 3-0 at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.

“I thought we played a really good game against one of the best teams in the League,” MacKinnon said. “That's a tough team to play against and [we] did a great job. It just felt like we just made some mistakes and they just scored, but it wasn't like we were getting outplayed. It felt like we were generating a ton early, so we just had to stick with it and lock it down a little bit. I thought 'Jus' was so good coming in like that. It's really hard. Really hard. Can't be overlooked how good he was. So he definitely calmed us down.”

Georgiev allowed four goals on 13 shots and took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty before being pulled.

“He wasn't sharp, so decided to make the change,” Bednar said.

Gustav Nyquist had a goal and an assist, and Kevin Lankinen made 35 saves for the Predators (43-27-4), who have lost two in a row after a franchise-record 18-game point streak (16-0-2). Nashville remained three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference and four points behind the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central. The Kings lost 4-2 at the Calgary Flames on Saturday, and the Jets lost 3-2 to the Ottawa Senators at home.

“We played pretty good, to be honest with you, 5-on-5 especially. I think we make it tough on them,” Nyquist said. “We create enough to probably score a couple more. Obviously special teams, that's kind of where we lose the game. They get a few on the power play. We don't. So both power play and our kill has to be better there. That's kind of what loses the game. Otherwise, I think we win this game.”

The Predators were 0-for-5 on the power play; the Avalanche were 3-for-6.

Colorado scored the final five goals of the game.

Artturi Lehkonen cut the Nashville lead to 4-3 with a power-play goal at 5:43 of the second period, on a one-timer from the top of the right circle to the short side. Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh had been assessed a match penalty and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head of Ross Colton at 3:11, giving Colorado a five-minute man-advantage.

“I don't know what the score was or whatever it was at that point. But I mean, we have to gain momentum,” Makar said. “We have to find a way to get momentum regardless of its a two-minute, five-minute, whatever. So for us, I think that one was big.”

Makar tied it 4-4 with a power-play goal at 18:25 with a wrist shot while coasting through the left circle.

Yakov Trenin gave the Avalanche a 5-4 lead at 19:31. He picked up a loose puck in the right circle and cut to the middle before scoring on a wrist shot.

It was Trenin’s first goal in 10 games since the forward was traded from the Predators on March 7 and his first game against his former team.

“He had a good night again tonight. I mean, he's been really good for us,” Bednar said. “A solid, defensively heavy player. Great on the penalty kill, makes a huge impact on our penalty kill. Like tonight though, he had multiple scoring chances, and good ones too.”

MacKinnon made it 6-4 on a rebound at 3:38 of the third period, then scored into an empty net at 16:10 for the 7-4 final.

Cole Smith put Nashville ahead 1-0 Nashville at 3:41 of the first period with a wrist shot from between the circles after Nyquist fed him from below the goal line.

Drouin tied it 1-1 at the left post at 5:25 when he redirected MacKinnon’s pass from the right circle.

Mark Jankowski gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 13:02, scoring from the top of the crease after his crossing pass was blocked by Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews.

“I thought 5-on-5 we played really well,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think they’ve got a great power play. So we gave them too many opportunities. They're going to score. Obviously, did some OK things, but the power play was no good either.”

Dante Fabbro extended it to 3-1 at 13:43 with a wrist shot from the left circle to the blocker side.

Casey Mittelstadt cut it to 3-2 on the power play at 16:11, tucking the puck inside the right post during a scramble in front.

“I think we're just learning and adapting,” Makar said. “We can't let games like that get away. Obviously, we gave up some good scoring chances for them tonight and 'Jus' came in and made some big saves for us. Overall, I think there's still ways that we can always improve defensively, but I think locking it down in certain situations tonight where it could have got out of hand pretty quickly was definitely a positive for us.”

Nyquist pushed the Nashville lead to 4-2 at 57 seconds of the second on a 2-on-1 when he scored from the right circle off a Spencer Stastney pass.

NOTES: MacKinnon took over the NHL lead with 127 points (47 goals, 80 assists), one ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (42 goals, 84 assists). MacKinnon  passed Peter Stastny (124) for the second-most points in a single season in Avalanche/Nordiques history (Stastny also had 139 in 1981-82). MacKinnon also became the third player in Avalanche/Nordiques history to have 80 assists in a season. Stastny had 93 in 1981-82 and 81 in 1985-86, and Peter Forsberg had 86 in 1995-96. … Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker left the game late in the second with an upper-body injury. There was no update. … Makar reached 62 assists for the season, tying Steve Duchesne (1992-93) for the Avalanche/Nordiques single-season record for a defenseman. … Toews ran his point streak to four games (five points; one goal, four assists). … Nyquist extended his point streak to eight games (12 points; five goals, seven assists). … Predators forward Filip Forsberg (assist) has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in a nine-game point streak.