NHL: Trailing teams hope home ice brings momentum shift
DENVER— Nathan MacKinnon is counting on 18,000 of his rowdy friends to give the Colorado Avalanche a little bit of an extra buzz.
Maybe even throw Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne off his game.
Trailing the top-seeded Predators 2-0 in the first-round series, the Avalanche return Monday (10 p.m. EDT, Sports- net) to a building that’s certainly been something to write home about this season. Their 28 wins at the Pepsi Center in the regular season tied the franchise mark held by the 2000-01 squad that went on to capture the Stanley Cup.
“We have lots of confidence here,” said MacKinnon , whose team has dropped 12 in a row to the Predators. “The building has been a lot of fun this year.”
Colorado isn’t the only team hoping a change of scenery provides a change in momentum. The Toronto Maple Leafs return to friendly confines down 2-0 in the series against Boston (7 p.m., CBC). The New Jersey Devils are in the same boat versus Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet) heading into their first playoff home game since 2012.
Then there’s the San Jose Sharks, who are sitting pretty after two road wins against Anaheim (10:30 p.m., Sportsnet One). Now at home, the Sharks get last change and the opportunity to dictate matchups.
“It’s a nice luxury being at home, having those matchups,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said.
MacKinnon said the Avs need to clean up the little things against a savvy Predators team.
“We’re in a tough spot right now,” MacKinnon said. “Two games at home. Hopefully, we can even up the series.”
The Predators fully expect a more tenacious rush from a youthful Colorado squad.
“They’re persistent,” Nashville forward Austin Watson said. “There’s no quit in them.”