The Nashville Predators outshot and outplayed the NHL’s best team, but they couldn't find the back of the net and fell to the Colorado Avalanche by a 3-0 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Despite a 35-26 advantage in the shots department and large stretches where they kept Colorado on their heels, the Preds were unable to solve Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood en route to a loss in their first game in almost a week following the NHL Global Series.
“It's frustrating,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said. “It feels like I keep saying the same things, but the first period, I thought we played really well - kind of all over them. They got that first one, but after that, I thought we had so many looks and Grade-A chances. Even the rest of the game, I thought we played them well. They had some looks, Juice made some great saves, but that's a dangerous team, and I felt like we were controlling the play for 60 minutes… It’s frustrating because you feel like you play well and you don't get rewarded.”
“I think you feel really good with the effort,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I thought we dictated the pace of the game against a really fast team. [We] had our opportunities. They didn't go in. But all in all, I really liked our game. It's a little bit redundant. I think we've said this many times here in this room, and all you can do is keep doing what you're doing and believe. I thought we had pretty good belief tonight.”
Colorado scored just 15 seconds into the contest as a Brent Burns shot found its way through traffic and past Juuse Saros for a 1-0 lead, but after that, Nashville dictated the play, especially in the opening frame.
But that score held through at least two periods, and all the Avalanche got the rest of the night was a pair of empty netters to collect their League leading 15th victory.
“It's been pretty much the same thing all year,” Preds winger Jonathan Marchessault said. “I think we’ve played decent games, and it's hard for me to analyze the game. I don't know... I feel like tonight we played great, and still we have zero goals. I don't know what to say, really, towards that. It's kind of disappointing as a group, especially for me individually, to be in a situation like that. It’s kind of tough. So, we played a good game, and again, we find a way to not win a hockey games. It's tough.”
The return of Josi to the lineup after missing 12 games due to injury was a bright spot, and something the Preds will look to build off of as they continue another grueling stretch in the schedule.
“That was awesome,” Brunette said of the Captain’s return. “[He’s] a little bit of a game changer for us. [He] can control the tempo of the game. We move pucks much better off our own men. I thought offensively, we were a little bit more dynamic in different areas, and that's just his first game back. So, I think for me, and I think for our group, we're really excited to have him, and I think we'll just get better here, the more he plays.”
Notes:
With Josi returning to the Nashville lineup, Justin Barron and Adam Wilsby were healthy scratches on the backend.
The Predators begin Thanksgiving week by hosting the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena before facing Detroit, Chicago and Winnipeg in the days ahead.
