Avalanche bite back in win over Predators

Before tonight, if you had picked up a seashell at any Denver-area store and put it up to your ear, you would have heard the sound of the ping from Nino Niederreiter’s game seven overtime winner in 2014. That goal put the Colorado Avalanche in a tailspin it’s only just begun to come out of with this lovable Avalanche team.

After dropping two competitive road games against the Nashville Predators to open their first playoff foray since the heartbreak of 2014, the Avalanche were excited to get back on home ice where they won 28 games this season, a total that tied a franchise record.

Given the hot starts of the series so far in which Colorado jumped out to one-goal leads on their first shots of both games one and two, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the Avs came out on fire again and once again took an early-game lead.

This lead came on their second shot of the game when Blake Comeau deflected a Carl Soderberg cross-ice pass behind Pekka Rinne, who was just beginning what would be a night to forget. Comeau’s goal put Colorado up 1-0 just 1:50 into the contest.

Instead of calming down and settling into the game, the Avalanche kept pouring it on Nashville. The relentless pressure culminated in Colorado getting its second goal of the game, a deflection off a Patrik Nemeth shot by fourth liner and former Nashville Predator Gabriel Bourque. It was Bourque’s second goal in as many games.

The 2-0 lead lasted all of four minutes and change when Gabe Landeskog made an incredible one-man effort in the neutral zone, outworking multiple Predators and then hitting Nathan MacKinnon, who broke in alone for a clean breakaway. MacKinnon made no mistake on the chance and beat Rinne cleanly, giving Colorado a 3-0 lead and sending the Pepsi Center into a frenzy it hadn’t seen in many years.

Colorado enjoyed its three-goal advantage into the second period but it didn’t last long. The first line of the Avalanche was at it again as they had a nice shift in the offensive zone and finally cashed in when MacKinnon rang a puck into the net off the post for his second goal of the game and a 4-0 Colorado lead. The goal also ran Rinne from the game and called on his backup, Juuse Saros, to finish the contest. It was the fourth time in Rinne’s last eight playoff games he did not finish a game he started.

Nashville would eventually make their way into the game thanks to the very rare circumstance of two penalties being called on Colorado simultaneously. The full two-minute, two-man advantage was naturally capitalized on when Nashville forced the puck down low where Colorado was naturally outnumbered and Ryan Johansen jammed it home to quiet the crowd’s fervor and cut the deficit to 4-1.

The rest of the second period was a penalty-filled affair as the teams traded literal and figurative punches and jabs but neither team was able to capitalize on the power play opportunities.

Facing a three-goal deficit in the third period, Colorado came out flying around and trying to solve the puzzle that was Juuse Saros but no such luck. Instead of locking down defensively and keeping the Predators at bay, Colorado broke down defensively and Nashville capitalized with far too easy of a goal when Roman Josi hit Colton Sissons on the backdoor for an easy tap-in goal to make it 4-2.

The goal changed the entire tone of the building and the game as the crowd got tight and Colorado began a parade of icings as their desperation to clear pucks overtook their desire to break out of the defensive zone with any kind of intent.

The shell game worked as the Avalanche eventually were given credit for a Landeskog empty-net goal on a play in which a penalty was being called with Saros on the bench to make it 5-2. The obligatory Austin Watson goal made sure the universe was back in balance but coming with just 1:15 remaining it ultimately made no difference in this one.

NOTEBOOK

Nathan MacKinnon tallied two goals for his first career multi-goal playoff game and
earned his second career postseason game-winning goal. MacKinnon’s seven shots
are a postseason career high.
Blake Comeau scored his second goal of the postseason, which sets a new career
high for goals and points in a single postseason. Comeau previously tallied one goal in
the playoffs as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of Pittsburgh’s firstround
series against the New York Rangers in 2015.
Patrik Nemeth and Mark Barberio each tallied a point in the playoffs for the first time in
their careers, Nemeth’s coming in his eighth career postseason contest and Barberio’s
in his sixth.
Mikko Rantanen finished with two assists to pick up his first career postseason multipoint
outing.
Colorado’s 33 shots is its highest total in the three games of the series so far.
Jonathan Bernier’s 29 saves is a postseason career high, topping the 28 saves he
made in Game 2 on Saturday.
Gabriel Landeskog’s empty-net goal is Colorado’s first of the postseason and the fifth
of any team in the playoffs.

Nikita Zadorov’s six hits is a career postseason high, and matches his total hits from
Games 1 and 2 combined.
Colorado C Nathan MacKinnon
On Holding The Lead: “We had good starts in Nashville, we just couldn’t hold leads
there. We held the lead here and added on to it. Obviously, that was fun.”
On The Crowd: “It was great. They were very loud. Last time we made the playoffs, it
was my first year and I remember how great they were then, even better now. So, they
definitely gave us a big boost up there.”
Colorado LW Blake Comeau
On The Physical Matchup With Nashville: “I think it’s just what we expected. They are a
competitive team, they got a lot of competitive guys and that being said, we have the
same thing. We just got to make sure that we are staying disciplined. I think it got a
little too scrummy for our liking. That’s not the way our team is built. So moving
forward, we have to make sure that we stay disciplined. We don’t want to give their
power play any opportunities to gain momentum or get any more goals.”
On Tonight’s Game: “We had another good start tonight and we were able to stick with
that for the rest of the game. You know, we did a good job tonight of having everyone
contribute, some big key saves by Bernie (Colorado G Jonathan Bernier) when we
needed them. Yeah, it was good to get that first win and make it 2-1 rather than 0-3.