Predators at Avalanche
THE STORY: Playoff positioning will be top of mind when the Nashville Predators visit the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. The two Western Conference teams are separated by a single point and are in a cluster of clubs within a few points of each other. This is the first of four meetings between the two teams this season, and the opening of a home-and-home series. The second game is Thursday in Music City. Nashville is 10-8-1 on the road this season, while Colorado sports a healthy 13-10-0 home record.
TV: 9 p.m. ET. FS-TN, ALT (HD)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (22-15-4): Nashville is coming off a 5-2 home win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Patric Hornqvist scored two power-play goals to lead the offense. Captain Shea Weber, Craig Smith and rookie Ryan Ellis also scored in the win. For Ellis, his first NHL goal followed his first NHL point on Saturday. Mike Fisher contributed three assists. After going 0-for-16 on the power play over a five-game stretch, the Predators were 4-for-5 with the man-advantage against the Hurricanes. Goalie Pekka Rinne made 27 saves to improve to 20-11-4 on the season. The Predators are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (13-19-1): Colorado is coming off a 4-0 road loss at the hands of the St. Louis Blues. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak, which included a 4-0 shutout win over the Chicago Blackhawks. G Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 35 saves in the loss to St. Louis, which outshot the Avalanche by a 39-15 margin. Giguere is 9-6-0 on the season and shares the net with Semyon Varlamov, who is 14-13-1. Colorado is 8-2-0 in its last 10 games.
OVERTIME:
1. Weber has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in his last 22 games.
2. The Predators are 6-1-1 when Weber scores this season.
3. Nashville’s Martin Erat has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last 11 games.