Avalanche Rally With Five Unanswered Goals, Beat Predators 7-4; Clinch Playoff Spot
Sure, it was a formality at this point, but we can now officially say it – the Colorado Avalanche are headed to the playoffs. Again.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – the Avalanche came from behind for another victory at home. After going down 4-2 early in the second period, Jared Bednar pulled Alexandar Georgiev and replaced him with Justus Annunen. That, along with a five minute powerplay soon after, turned the tide of the game, and Colorado scored five unanswered goals to walk away with a 7-4 win over the Predators.
Nathan MacKinnon started a new streak at home, picking up four points and re-taking the scoring lead in the NHL. Mikko Rantanen added three assists, giving him 100 points for the second straight season. Annunen stopped all 22 shots he faced over the final 39 minutes to come away with the win.
First Period
10 seconds into the game, Yakov Trenin nearly scored against his former team. That would be a good indicator of what we were in for the rest of the period.
Colorado got a real scare early in the first. Not just on the scoreboard, but on the ice. Cale Makar blocked a Filip Forsberg shot, and hobbled around the rest of his shift. Ultimately, the Avalanche left Cole Smith all alone in front of the net, and he beat Georgiev up high for the first goal of the game, but the concern was around Makar, who left the game for about eight minutes.
