Avs Fall To Predators 3-4
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (The Sports Xchange) - Roman Josi snapped a tie with a five-on-three power-play goal early in the third period, and the Nashville Predators stopped the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 Tuesday night at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.
Josi's fourth goal came off a setup from center Ryan Johansen with Avalanche defensemen Cody Goloubef and Francois Beauchemin serving minors. Nashville (12-9-4) emerged with its third win of the season over Colorado (9-14-1).
Pekka Rinne (11-5-4) made 25 saves for the Predators, 13 in the third period. Semyon Varlamov (5-12-0) stopped 28 of 32 shots for the Avalanche, who lost their sixth straight game despite two power-play markers from Matt Duchene.
Colorado had a six-on-four advantage for the final 93 seconds after Johansen went off for high-sticking Duchene and then the Avalanche pulled Varlamov, but the visitors couldn't come up with the equalizer.
Nashville's Mike Ribeiro recorded two assists.
The Predators opened the scoring at 10:08 of the first period. Viktor Arvidsson blocked a point shot from Goloubef and turned it into a breakaway goal, beating Varlamov stick-side for his eighth marker.
Colorado answered back exactly two minutes later off a turnover by Predators center Calle Jarnkrok. Rene Bourque collected the whiffed pass behind the net and fed Nathan MacKinnon in the slot for his sixth goal.
James Neal gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 18:26 of the first with a wrister from a bad angle. He collected his team-leading 11th goal in his first game back after missing the previous four contests.
Duchene pulled the Avalanche into a 2-2 tie at 3:46 of the second period with a power-play tally that hit off a Nashville defender's skate and barely crossed the goal line. The play was originally ruled no goal but was overturned by the NHL situation room in Toronto.
Nashville regained the lead for the third time at 5:59, courtesy of P.K. Subban's slapper from the right point that hit the stick of Colorado's Eric Gelinas and fluttered past Varlamov. It was Subban's seventh goal, one more than he scored in 68 games last season in Montreal.
Duchene tied it at 13:56 with a second man-advantage marker, scoring off the rebound of Jarome Iginla's slapper for his ninth goal.
NOTES: Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body injury) missed his ninth consecutive contest. He is expected to return during the team's four-game road trip that started Tuesday night. ... Nashville RW James Neal (upper-body injury) came off injured reserve Tuesday and was placed on a line with Colin Wilson and Mike Fisher. ... The Avalanche scratched D Fedor Tyutin. ... Predators scratches were D Andy Pardy and C Reid Boucher
