Game preview: Colorado Avalanche look to tame division foe Nashville Predators

The Colorado Avalanche take on the Nashville Predators on Monday night at Ball Arena. The Avalanche (7-8) are coming off one of the biggest wins of the year so far, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 6-4 on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Predators (5-9-1) got a big win over the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night. However, the Preds have disappointed this season after a number of big offseason free-agent signings. As it stands, the Preds sit tied for last with the Chicago Blackhawks for last place in the Central Division.

This game is crucial for both clubs as the Avs will look to continue putting distance between them and the bottom-dwelling teams, while the Preds will be looking to get back on track.

With that in mind, here are three key points ahead of Monday night’s game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Nashville Predators.

Three key points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche-Nashville Predators clash

Malinski contributing offensively

Sam Malinski sort of sneaked into the lineup during training camp. He wasn’t initially projected to make the team, but he impressed well enough to earn a spot. Thus far, he’s played very well on the third pairing, providing solid defense and chipping in offensively.

Malinski got his first goal of the season on Saturday night against the Hurricanes. He’s now got four points on the season and will be looking to continue building upon that momentum.

The Avs have two of the top-three scorers in the league

Nathan MacKinnon leads the Art Ross race with 29 points this season. He’s one point ahead of Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild and five points ahead of Cale Makar.

In particular, Makar is having an amazing year offensively. Makar has a chance to lead the league in scoring. The only blueliner to lead the league in scoring was Bobby Orr, doing it twice in 1970 and 1975. Of course, Makar has stiff competition from his teammate MacKinnon, but if there’s anyone who could do it, it’s Makar.

Annunen to get the call

Justus Annunen should be back between the pipes against the Predators. However, coach Jared Bednar may opt to start Alexandar Georgiev after his largely positive performance against the Hurricanes. Doing so would be more of a vote of confidence for Georgiev than an indictment of Annunen.

At this point, the Avs need to get Georgiev rolling as the goalie market is rather limited at the moment. There are no internal options to replace Georgiev. So, it’s a good idea to get Georgiev’s confidence going. What better way than to give him two-straight starts?