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Nashville Predators 3, Colorado Avalanche 5: Early Struggles Prove Costly

Posted on by Nick Frias

The Nashville Predators traveled to Denver to continue their first round series, falling 5-3 to the Avalanche.

The game started off in similar fashion to the other two. A loud crowd with the Avs scoring first, this time with Blake Comeau scoring on Colorado’s second shot. The Predators settled down quickly, preventing the Avalanche from getting any high danger chances. They put one past Jonathan Bernier, but Viktor Arvidsson crashed into Bernier during the play and it is waved off both on the ice and after a review. On the ensuing faceoff, Blake Comeau and Kevin Fiala exchanged a few stick whacks to give fans 2 minutes of 4-on-4 hockey.

After a few minutes of scoreless hockey, a failed clear by Pekka Rinne led to the second goal of the night for Colorado, as former Pred Gabriel Borque fired one past Rinne. A few minutes later, a high-danger chance for Colorado leads to a slashing penalty on Kyle Turris, but the Predators are able to hold the Avalanche to one shot on goal, keeping it at 2-0.  The score would not remain there, however, as a Nathan MacKinnon goal on a breakaway extended the lead at the end of the 1st to 3-0 Colorado.

The Predators tried to score immediately starting the second period, but Arvidsson couldn’t finish on the breakaway, and neither could anyone else so the score remained the same. A few minutes later, MacKinnon put another shot past Rinne to put the Avs up 4-0, and Juuse Saros made his way to the crease, coming in for Rinne. Kyle Turris drew a penalty a few minutes later, and in the post-whistle aftermath, Patrik Nemeth picked up a penalty of his own to give Nashville a 5-on-3 advantage for 2 full minutes. Ryan Johansen put the Preds on the board, but shortly after the Avalanche regained even strength, Nashville gifted them a power play after a Nick Bonino elbow connected with Kerfoot.

The Preds killed off that penalty, but Forsberg connected with Bernier shortly thereafter, giving the Avs another powerplay. With just over a minute remaining in the penalty kill, P.K. Subban sent both himself and Nathan MacKinnon to the box for holding.

Early on in the 3rd period, a Salomaki charging call put the Predators in the box for the 8th time. After killing off the penalty, the Predators scored off of a Sissons goal from a great Roman Josi feed to bring the game another goal closer. An automatic empty net goal off of an Ellis hook gave the Avalanche a 5-2 lead, but a quick answer by Austin Watson pulls Nashville back within 2, which is where the score stood.

Random Observations

  • We’re 30 minutes from puck drop, I’ve finished my pregame ritual and have the FS-TN pregame show on. Let’s get this thing going
  • No change in the lineup, hopefully that 4th forward line can play better
  • Props to the Pepsi Center, the crowd is feeling it
  • Well, at least they didn’t score on the first shot this time
  • Fiala slipped on the ice, but the ensuing altercation was funny
  • A failed clear led to a Colorado goal? No way
  • Upon looking at a replay, that redirected off of Emelin’s glove, because, well, of course it did
  • Penalty = kilt
  • Someone has got to cover him there
  • And after a chorus of boos every time he touched the puck that period, Subban gets a chant telling him that he sucks to end the first
  • Juuse is in, unfortunate for Peks
  • Penalty = kilt (x2)
  • THANK YOU
  • Penalty = kilt (x3)
  • Fil, come on man
  • PK WHAT ARE YOU DOING
  • Penalty = Kilt (x4)
  • Alright, 20 more minutes. You scored one, add some more. Please.
  • Penalty = kilt (please stop this)
  • COLTON SISSONS FROM EL CAPITAN
  • This is the most stressed I’ve been in a while. For anything
  • WE WON A GOALTENDER INTERFERENCE CALL
  • That was rough/

OTF’s Super Duper Stars of the Game

  1. Juuse Saros – He was perfect in place of Rinne (who by the way was left out to dry by his dmen)
  2. Roman Josi – The captain was all over the ice tonight, and he picked up an assist.
  3. Austin Watson – He’s scored in every playoff game so far. No one saw that coming.

Tweets of the Night

Talking Points