Keys to Watch

Stay Out of the Box

The Nashville Predators were able to take both games in Nashville to take a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Colorado Avalanche. The series will now shift to Colorado where they were 28-11-2 on the regular season. The Predators had a problem this year with committing penalties as the most penalized team in the NHL.

During the regular season, the Preds averaged 11:19 per contest, 320 minor penalties,and 24 major penalties. In grand total, the Nashville Predators had 928 penalty minutes, 16 minutes more than the next closest team. The Predators have got to stay out of the penalty box during the post-season. Colorado had the 8th ranked power play during the regular season (21.9%). The Nashville penalty kill has been excellent during the series, but staying out of the box will keep the Avs at bay.

Finish Strong

The Predators were up 5-3 late in Game Two when Colorado pulled Johnathan Bernier. With the extra skater, Alexander Kerfoot scored to bring the game to the eventual final score of 5-4. Granted, the Predators would go on to win the contest, but a broken play led to Colorado coming within one. During the play, the defense broke down in front of Rinne allowing for the Avs goal.

Nashville needs to play the full 60 minutes tonight. Colorado, as the final team to make the playoffs, has nothing to lose. They are massive underdogs against the President’s Trophy winning team.

Stopping #29

Nathan MacKinnon has been the best player for Colorado during this series. With his production this year, 39 goals, 58 assists, the Halifax, NS, Canada should be the leader on his team. Dynamic and focused, he is an outstanding player and Nashville has done a decent job reigning him in and not giving him much time in space. The Predators have to keep MacKinnon in check with his ability to score at a moments notice. If they can keep him from producing, Nashville could be one game away from moving on to the next round.

The series will shift from Bridgestone Arena to the Pepsi Center in Denver. Be sure to catch all of the action on NBCSN, Fox Sports-Tennessee, or you can listen live on 102.5 The Game. Puck drops at 9:00 pm!

Brandon Eldridge

Brandon was born and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee but eventually moved to McMinnville, Tennessee after marrying his wife, Lindsey. He is a graduate of Cumberland University (GO BULLDOGS) with a Master of Arts in Education. Growing up in Middle Tennessee, hockey was not an interest early in life. He is a hockey convert. His introduction to hockey was through free tickets from his grandmother for a game between the Predators and the Dallas Stars. After this initial introduction, it has truly been an obsession. Along with his wife and son, Brandon goes to as many games as he can. From statistics to player interactions, he has become the ultimate hockey fan. He is a proud father, teacher, history nerd, music-lover, and true sports fanatic!