AVALANCHE DEFEATS PREDATORS 5-3, GETS BACK INTO PLAYOFF SERIES
Colorado jumps on Nashville early, holds on to pull within 2-1 in series
The fear among Avalanche fans heading into Monday night’s Game 3 at the Pepsi Center was a sweep of the first-round playoff series by Nashville. There’s no worry about that now after a dominating 5-3 win by the Avs before a raucous crowd.
And based on the Mile High excitement surrounding the Avs, this series could go a lot further than most pundits predicted. Nashville now leads 2-1 heading into Wednesday’s Game 4 at the Pepsi Center.
The young, relentless Avs, who built a 4-0 lead, aren’t going away. They tied a club record with 28 victories at home in the regular season and continued that hot play, outplaying the Predators from the jump to win their first playoff game in four years.
Their victory Monday night snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Preds, who previously lost to the Avs a little more than two years ago.
Center Nathan MacKinnon and
wingers Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen — the MGM Line — were spectacular, producing the Avs’ third and fourth goals, with MacKinnon scoring both. Landeskog scored an empty-netter with 1:36 remaining to make it 5-2. Blake Comeau and Gabriel Bourque got the first two goals as Colorado scored first for the third consecutive game.
The Avs took the all-important 3-0 advantage with MacKinnon’s first goal off a fabulous neutral-zone effort by Landeskog. The team captain, from his knees, stole the puck from Mike Fisher and spotted MacKinnon driving through the neutral zone. Landy put the puck on MacKinnon’s stick to spring the speedster on a breakaway. MacKinnon beat Pekka Rinne with a glove-side wrister.
The MGM Line scored again to end the night for Rinne, a Vezina Trophy candidate as the NHL’s top goalie. After killing off a Tyson Barrie penalty in the final minute of the first period and the beginning of the second, MacKinnon beat Rinne with wrist shot from between the circles. Landeskog and Rantanen got the assists by working around Rinne, who was pulled for backup Juuse Saros, who did not allow a goal.
At the outset, the Avs used some gamesmanship by starting their fourth line of center J.T. Compher and wingers Colin Wilson and Bourque. Perhaps it suggested the Avs would throw a four-line attack at the Preds, but still take advantage of having last change and using the MGM Line in favorable matchups between whistles.
The MGM Line followed Compher’s line, and then the Carl Soderberg-centered line gave the Avs a 1-0 lead 1:50 into the game. Left winger Matt Nieto, from behind the net, dished to Soderberg on the wall, and Soderberg threw it in front, where Comeau tipped it in. Colorado scored on its second shot of the game. In Games 1 and 2. On Monday, it was on its first shot.
The Avs went ahead 2-0 on Bourque’s goal at 13:24. Originally credited to defenseman Patrik Nemeth, Bourque ultimately was credited for the tally by tipping Nemeth’s long shot into the corner of the net.
Shortly thereafter, Nashville’s Ryan Johansen rang a wrist shot off the crossbar behind Bernier.
The Preds got their first goal from Johansen on a 5-on-3 power play at 10:23 of the second period. Nikita Zadorov (hooking) and Nemeth (cross checking) took penalties at 9:27 and Johansen made them pay.