Nashville will be without forward Ryan Hartman, who was suspended one game for an illegal check to the head of Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg in the third period in Game 4, and Colorado will be without goaltender Jonathan Bernier, who sustained a lower-body injury. Andrew Hammond will start after he replaced Bernier to begin the third period Wednesday and made eight saves.
Last season, the Predators closed three playoff series at home, eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 in the first round, the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round, and the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
"Obviously, in the playoffs, until it's over, it's not over," Subban said. "Last year, we showed a lot of composure in those moments, executed well. I expect us to execute at our best tomorrow."
Predators coach Peter Laviolette said, "We have to focus on one game. We've been trying to stay on point, going game by game, and I think our guys have done a pretty good job of that. We didn't like the way we played in Game 3 (a 5-3 loss at Colorado), we had a really solid effort in Game 4 and we find ourselves back here with a chance to win a game and move on [to the second round]. So our guys will be ready."
So far, the Predators have played well against the Avalanche, but they believe they can play better. Nashville felt the same way about the end of the regular season, going 5-4-1 in its final 10 games. But the Predators liked their response in Game 4, taking a 3-0 lead and holding off a late push by the Avalanche.
"We haven't played our best hockey, not only in the playoffs but leading up to it. Yesterday was a great step in the right direction," Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "We need to get rest and move on from last game. But I like to think we did and learned a lot from last year, not only in closing out [series], but the importance of it. Tomorrow's a huge game."
