Avalanche at Predators
The Colorado Avalanche weren't given much of a chance by many prognosticators heading into their Western Conference first-round series with the Nashville Predators, but a late surge helped them fend off elimination in their last outing. The upstart Avalanche aim to fluster the Presidents' Trophy-winning Predators once again in Game 6 on Sunday when the series shifts to the Pepsi Center.
Nathan MacKinnon deftly weaved his way around defenders before setting up captain Gabriel Landeskog for the tying goal before Sven Andrighetto cleaned up a rebound with 1:28 left as Colorado snapped a seven-game skid in Nashville with a 2-1 win on Friday. "We've got a series again going home, and it's going to be exciting," said Landeskog, who leads the team in goals (four) and points (seven) in this series - with one more than MacKinnon in both categories. Nashville was unable to advance and set up a conference semifinal date with Patrik Laine and Winnipeg despite unleashing 19 of its 45 shots in the third period at Andrew Hammond (career-high 44 saves), but coach Peter Laviolette wasn't going to put too much stock into the latest setback. "That's what the playoffs are all about, it's about picking yourself up when something doesn't go your way and going back out and trying to make things right," Laviolette said. "There's a lot of confidence in the room the guys will go out to Colorado and get this done."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet, TVAS, FS Tennessee (Nashville), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS: Austin Watson recorded his club-best sixth point while extending his point streak to six games (four goals, three assists) after setting up Nick Bonino midway into the third period on Friday. While Watson is having a strong series, Nashville's second line of Craig Smith, Kevin Fiala and Kyle Turris have struggled mightily at times against Colorado. Smith has saved face with two goals, but Fiala committed both of the Predators' penalties in Game 5 and Turris has registered only five shots while notching just one assist and a minus-1 rating in the series.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE: Hammond had all of one regular-season game with Colorado under his belt, but that lack of familiarity didn't prevent him from turning in a sterling performance in Game 5. "For the most part, I thought guys did a good job letting me see pucks through lanes and boxing out," the 30-year-old said. "When it wasn't, you go back to your roots. I'm more of a battler as a goalie than necessarily technically perfect, but you'll take it however it comes." Defenseman Tyson Barrie set up a goal for the second straight game and fourth time in four outings to pull even with Mikko Rantanen for the team lead in assists.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville has won three of four meetings with Colorado at Pepsi Center, including a 3-2 victory in Game 4.
2. The Avalanche are just 2-for-20 on the power play in the series while the Predators have failed to score on all six opportunities with the man advantage in the last two games.
3. Nashville C Colton Sissons scored in each game in Colorado this series and had two goals and an assist in two regular-season encounters.