On Saturday, the Nashville Predators welcomed in the Colorado Avalanche for a Central Division showdown.
Nashville dug themselves into a hole early on with the first goal coming from Francois Beauchemin on the power-play at 8:37 and Nick Holden at 14:38.
Miikka Salomaki was able to cut the Avs lead to 2-1 at 19:52 with assists from Ryan Ellis (10) and Colton Sissons (1).
With no scoring in the second period, the winner would be determined in the third period.
Only 58 seconds into the third period, Craig Smith was able to tie up the game.
It looked as though the game might go to overtime but Andreas Martinsen (2) scored the game-winning goal for the Avs. Nashville would fall to Colorado 3-2.
Tonight, the Preds will welcome in the Calgary Flames to Bridgestone Arena.
In their last outing, the Calgary Flames defeated the New York Rangers 5-4.
Keys to Watch
The Flames are on Fire!
The Calgary Flames have been one of the best teams in the NHL for the month of December. So far, Calgary is 5-0-0 with wins against the Rangers, Sharks, Stars, Sabres, and Bruins. All of those matches, except for the 4-2 win against San Jose on December 8th, have been one goal decisions. The Flames have learned to win tight matchups against some of the elite competition the NHL has to offer. The Flames are the only team this season to give up 100 goals (102). When they lose, it’s by a hefty margin. Nashville will need to have a quick start in order to get the win. If it’s close, Nashville could be in some trouble.
Slow down Gaudreau
Johnny Gaudreau has been the catalyst of this Calgary squad over the past five games. Over this span, the Salem, New Jersey native has eight goals, including a hat trick against Boston on December 4th, three assists, and two game-winning goals. He has been able to effectively lead this team on the scoresheet. In 29 games this season, Gaudreau is at half of his scoring from last season, and looks to eclipse that total. He leads the team in goals (12), assists (19), and total points (31). He is the one Nashville has to stop.
Special Teams Blunders
Along with the atrocious play over the past 10 games that Nashville has produced on the penalty kill, they have some competition of bad special teams play. The Calgary Flames are ranked last in both power-play (11.6) and penalty kill (70.9) this season. Nashville has the opportunity tonight to rebound on their less than stellar special teams play. Going against the worst team in the NHL on special teams gives them the chance to rebound, build confidence, and retake their ability to produce with the man-advantage.
The Predators will look to get back on the winning track as they continue their current home stand. Be sure to catch all of the action of Fox Sports-Tennessee or you can listen live on 102.5 The Game.
Puck drops at 7:00 pm!
