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After going 2-1 in the week gone by, the level of competition takes a big step up for the Nashville Predators, as they face a home-and-home with one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference, and an Eastern Conference power which has Stanley Cup aspirations this spring.
Can the Preds keep the good times rolling, especially that sellout streak at Bridgestone Arena? Let's take a look...
Nashville Predators tickets are getting scarce, so make sure to take the OTF Discount!
Tuesday @ Colorado Avalanche
The week kicks off Tuesday night in Denver, where the Preds will take on an Avalanche team which looked for a while like they were going to fade out of the playoff hunt with a 13-16-1 record about a month ago, but since then they've gone 10-3-0 to storm right back into the mix. Currently in 10th place, they are just one point behind the Predators and Wild in 6th & 7th, so they will look at this week as an opportunity to pass one of the teams ahead of them.
Notably, the Preds have won five straight games against the Avalanche, dating back to February 4, 2010.
With star center Matt Duchene on the shelf for a month, it's Cal's brother leading the Avs in scoring:
Thursday vs. Colorado Avalanche
At least they're not playing on back to back nights, but familiarity should definitely breed contempt as the Preds and Avs follow up Tuesday's game with a rematch at Bridgestone Arena, in what is hoped to be the team's 9th straight sellout (got your tickets yet?). The Predators will seek to continue their recent stretch of solid play on home ice, where they've won 8 of their last 10 games.
Saturday vs. Philadelphia Flyers
One of the NHL's marquis teams comes to Smashville on Saturday night, as they seek to get back on track and drive for an Atlantic Division championship. After a 7-game winning streak carried them in early December, the Flyers stumbled over the final weeks of the year and allowed the Rangers to come from behind to beat them in the Winter Classic. Since that time they've beaten the Blackhawks & Senators, but there are concerns that former Preds captain Kimmo Timonen is dinged up, so we'll keep an eye on his status over the course of the week.
So what are your expectations for the week ahead? This will certainly be no cake walk...