The Colorado Avalanche will be back in the saddle on Sunday night as they take on the Nashville Predators in one of two visits to Bridgestone Arena this season.
The Avs will be looking to keep chugging long after their 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning erased a two-game skid.
The Predators, for their part, are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. For Nashville, Sunday night’s game will be the second leg of a back-to-back set. As such, Colorado has an opportunity to pounce on a bit of a tired Preds squad.
Here’s a look at three things to consider as the Avalanche look to make it two wins in a row.
There should be no changes in lineup for Avalanche
The Avs played with a 12-6 setup on Friday night against Tampa. That should not change against the Predators. Taylor Makar should dress for the Avs, taking up the 12th forward spot.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that Nic Roy is traveling with the team to Nashville, but is unlikely to play. He’ll likely be a game-time decision, but we’ll see if he draws into the lineup. If he does, it’ll mean that Makar will sit out.
Nicolas Roy will go to Nashville with the team. Bednar said he’s questionable to doubtful for tomorrow but doing more every day.
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) October 24, 2026
L’Heureux’s recovery has been “slow moving.” He’s week to week.
If he does play, it would be good to see Makar get more than eight minutes of ice time.
Also, Avs fans won’t be seeing Zachary L’Heureux for a while, as the club placed the 23-year-old on LTIR.
Blackwood should get the call against Predators
MacKenzie Blackwood should get the call against the Predators. There’s no reason to see why Scott Wedgewood would play against his former team.
The Avs won’t play from Sunday until next Wednesday, when they host the New Jersey Devils in what figures to be Connor Hellebuyck’s debut with his new team.
So, Blackwood would have a few days in between starts. Unless Jared Bednar wanted to give Blackwood a few days off before a bit of a more packed schedule, it’s likely Blackwood would play on Sunday and Wednesday.
Power play looking to continue building momentum
The power play will be looking to continue building momentum after scoring once in its last game. The tweaks under Brett MacLean have been noticeable, thought there is still along way to go. T.J. Hughes looked much better on the first unit against Tampa, while having Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen, and Brock Nelson on the second unit has also looked encouraging.
A win on Sunday night would inch the Avalanche closer to the Central Division lead, as the club seeks to firmly position itself in a playoff spot.
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