Avalanche at Predators
THE STORY: The Nashville Predators are riding high after winning five of their last six games. Coach Barry Trotz's club will look to continue their winning ways on Thursday when they host the Colorado Avalanche in the back end of a home-and-home series. The Predators posted their sixth straight victory over the Avalanche with a 4-1 triumph on Tuesday. With the win, Nashville moved three points clear of Colorado with two games in hand in the ultra-competitive Western Conference standings. On the flip side, Colorado's fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. After winning nine of their previous 10 games, the Avalanche have been outscored by an 8-1 margin en route to dropping back-to-back contests to the Northwest Division rival Calgary Flames and Predators. "It's frustrating, but we can't keep our heads down for long," Colorado captain Milan Hejduk said of his team's recent skid.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ALT
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (23-20-1): Admittedly it's only January, but C Ryan O'Reilly is calling Thursday's tilt in Music City a must-win game. "For sure, we need these next two points," O'Reilly said. "They're must-win points. If we get that win, we close the gap again and it keeps us in contention for the playoffs. We have to regroup and get focused for that one." O'Reilly did his part by scoring a goal for his team-leading 30th point, but Nashville tallied three times in the first period to put Colorado in a quick hole.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (23-15-4): RW Martin Erat has traditionally come up big against the Avalanche, and Tuesday's effort was no exception. He collected a goal and an assist to up his total to four tallies and six helpers during the last six meetings versus Colorado. RW Patric Hornqvist has three goals in his last two games. Nashville is tied with Minnesota for sixth place in the West, while Colorado rests in a ninth-place tie with Dallas.
OVERTIME:
1. Avalanche D Erik Johnson sat out Tuesday's game with a hand injury. He is questionable to play on Thursday.
2. Nashville has finally ignited its power play. The Predators have scored on five of their last eight opportunities with the man advantage. That's quite the surge after going 0-for-16 in their previous five games.