Predators at Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche will hope to get back on track after a winless three-game road trip, but they will have to do it against a team that has been perfect away from home. The Nashville Predators, who became the fifth team in NHL history to open a season with at least six consecutive road victories, begin a five-game trek with a visit to the Avalanche on Wednesday night.
"We haven't talked about (it) too much," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette told reporters of the unblemished road record. "I know it's hard to win on the road, but I think our group has done a pretty good job of focusing on the opponent and the game and not necessarily the location." The league's first team to reach 11 wins and 22 points, the Predators have won three in a row and allowed a scant two goals as they make their first visit to Colorado since closing out a six-game postseason series against the Avalanche in April. Colorado ranks second in the NHL in scoring with 3.71 goals per game, but it struggled at the defensive end in Western Canada, allowing 13 tallies in losses to Calgary and Vancouver. "It wasn't the best road trip," said backup netminder Philipp Grubauer. "We'll need to keep working. If we're smart as a team we'll learn from this road trip, learn from our mistakes."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (11-3-0): Top-line forward Viktor Arvidsson has sat out the past two games due to a lower-body injury and is eligible to come off injured reserve Wednesday, but he was wearing a non-contact jersey at Tuesday's practice. Colton Sissons and Kevin Fiala each played on the No. 1 unit alongside Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg in the past two games, but Ryan Hartman skated with the team's top two scorers during Wednesday's practice. Pekka Rinne has won both starts since returning from a five-game injury absence, including a 1-0 shutout of Boston on Saturday.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (7-4-3): Entering Tuesday's games, Colorado featured the league's Nos. 1 and 3 top scorers in Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon, who form a potent top line with captain Gabriel Landeskog. Rantanen, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Oct. 29 by being named the NHL's Third Star of the Week, collected a goal and seven assists over the last four games. “We have to prove we can do it every night and be consistent,” Rantanen said of his line's production. "I knew I could play in the NHL but I never thought I would be playing on a line like this. I can’t deny, it’s been a lot of fun.”
OVERTIME
1. Forsberg had three goals and three assists in four matches against the Avalanche in 2017-18.
2. Landeskog has 10 goals in his last nine games, but his one tally was his only point in four games versus Nashville last season.
3. Rinne needs three wins to tie Miikka Kiprusoff (319) for the most by a Finnish-born goalie.