A bad case of the bruise Puck to face.
NASHVILLE, TENN.» The Avalanche played without rookie defenseman Sam Girard in Game 2 on Saturday. Girard, who logged 22:07 and produced four shots in Game 1, was scratched with an upper-body injury.
The 19-year-old didn’t participate in Friday’s optional practice, but coach Jared Bednar said he was just resting. It turned out to be much more than requiring rest. Girard was replaced on the second pairing by rookie Duncan Siemens, who worked with Patrik Nemeth at even-strength. David Warsofsky replaced Girard on the second power-play unit.
The Avs already were without top defenseman Erik Johnson, who remains out with a fractured kneecap.
“He’s day-to-day at this point,” Bednar said of Girard after the game. “We’ll just see how he does, see how he is (Sunday). He’s a big part of our team right now. He’s elevated his game at the right time, and with Erik Johnson already out of the lineup, he becomes an even more valuable guy for us.”
Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie took a puck to the face and was bloodied in the first period, from a deflection by goalie Jonathan Bernier. Barrie, who might have lost a tooth — or teeth — returned later in the period and finished the game.
He had 22:10 of ice time, third among Avs defensemen, but was a team-worst minus-3. Barrie declined comment after the game. Footnotes. Nashville extended its winning streak over Colorado to 12 games overall and seven at Bridgestone Arena. … Predators center Nick Bonino on taking a 2-0 series lead to Colorado for Games 3 and 4: “You want to hold home ice, but you look at their home record and it’s pretty good, too, so that’s a hard rink to play in. They’re really good there so we know we have our work cut out for us.” … Nasvhille’s Flilip Forsberg used his backside to deliver a massive hit that bloodied Siemens during the first shift of the second period. Siemens was in a penaltykilling situation and trying to ice the puck from the corner in the defensive zone. Forsberg came in strong on the forecheck and turned around to cushion the collision. Siemens appeared to re-injure the broken nose he sustained during the regular season. … Colorado second-line center Carl Soderberg has zero shots in the series. He logged a relatively low 13:15 in Game 2. … The Avs won just 39 percent of their faceoffs and top-line linemates Nathan Mackinnon and Gabe Landeskog were a combined 6-of-27. … Country music star Brad Paisley sang the national anthem with an electric guitar. Rascal Flatts performed the anthem in Game 1.