At 33-4-8, the Colorado Avalanche want to get the 34th win of the year against the Nashville Predators on Friday. Not only that, but also finish off the season series against their division rival with a 3-1 head-to-head record.
Their first matchup ended great for Colorado, as the Avs came out on top with a 3-0 victory. In the game, Brent Burns started the scoring just 15 seconds into the game, while the final two goals came late into the third period—one with 1:35 left and the other with 51 seconds remaining. While the scoring was slow throughout the game, we have to highlight goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped all 35 shots sent his way. It was just the beginning of what he’s been able to do for the Avs this season.
Burns has been an incredible addition to the team, both offensively and defensively. He’s fit really well on the second pairing and has also contributed to eight goals and 15 assists in 45 games. He has also tied his career-high in the plus-minus category at plus-26, while averaging his lowest time on ice since 2013-14 with the Sharks (19:29 through this stage of the season).
In the second matchup of the season, the Predators took home the win 4-3. Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, and Cale Makar each had a goal for Colorado, while Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei, and Reid Schaefer each had a goal for Nashville. The game ended with a Predators shootout victory.
Lastly, on December 13, the Avalanche hosted the Predators once again. They came out on top 4-2, with stars Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin each scoring a goal as well as depth pieces Victor Olofsson and Jack Drury.
The Predators have a -22 goal differential while Colorado has a commanding lead in that category at +79. Tampa Bay is second in that category with +44, just to put that into perspective. It is one of the most mindblowing stats of the season thus far.
Juuse Saros will probably get the start for Nashville, as he hasn’t played since January 13. Mackenzie Blackwood is likely to be in net for the Avalanche after dealing with an injury for the past couple of weeks. He hasn’t played not played since December 31. However, he is the winner of seven-straight games. Hopefully, he will be able to show that same level of dominance on Friday.
The Avalanche will be without captain Gabriel Landeskog and defenseman Devon Toews, both of whom are dealing with injuries that will keep them out a while longer. They’re missed, but the Avs have shown that they can win without them. Hopefully they will do the same on Friday.