Predators ice Avs, snap skid
DENVER -- Craig Smith scored twice, Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, and the Nashville Predators beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 on Tuesday to snap a three-game skid.
Roman Josi and Matt Irwin also scored and Filip Forsberg had two assists for the Predators, who won for just the second time in eight games.
Pekka Rinne finished with 28 saves.
Jarome Iginla scored for the Avalanche, who have lost two straight at home.
The game got a little chippy in the third period. Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov delivered a hard check on Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis on the opening faceoff and Gabriel Landeskog and Austin Watson dropped the gloves 1:08 into the final period.
The Avalanche didn't get the spark they needed out of the confrontations and the Predators were able to put it away with two late goals in the third. Josi made it 4-1 at 12:09 and Smith scored an unassisted goal 1:09 later to put it away.
Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov stopped 32 shots in the loss.
Irwin broke a 1-1 tie when he scored at 17:47 of the first. The Predators went up by two goals midway through the second period when Johansen scored on the power play.
Nashville outshot Colorado 19-7 in the second period and had 29 heading into the third.
Smith gave Nashville a 1-0 lead only 1:33 into the game. He crashed the net and deflected center Mike Ribeiro's pass from the slot for his third goal of the season.
Iginla tied it at 5:35 of the first when he scored on a rebound off a shot by Matt Duchene. It was his second goal of the season and the 613th of his career.
NOTES: Colorado F Gabriel Bourque was assigned to San Antonio of the AHL on Monday. Bourque made the team on a professional tryout and signed a two-way contract. He was a healthy scratch in the previous two games. ... Nashville LW Cody Bass returned to the lineup after missing four games with an upper-body injury. Bass was injured Oct. 21 against Detroit. ... Avalanche RW Cody McLeod was the lone healthy scratch while D Fedor Tyutin (groin) was out for the fourth straight game. Colorado is carrying only 22 players after optioning Bourque. ... Predators LW Kevin Fiala was a healthy scratch with the return of Bass. Fiala has two goals in eight games. D Matt Carle was scratched for the third straight game.