Can the Nashville Predators continue their dominance of the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their first-round series?
Thus far, the Nashville Predators are leading the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 in their first-round series. Considering the former won the President’s Trophy while the latter barely made the postseason, this shouldn’t be a surprise. However, the Avs nearly surprised the Preds in Game 2, rallying before finally falling 5-4.
Each time Nashville got a two-goal lead on Saturday, Colorado found a way to knock the lead back down to one goal. They’ve been relentless so far. Nashville must be wary of Colorado, especially since the latter has scored the first goal in each game of the series.
Forward Austin Watson is once again emerging as a surprising hero for the Preds. After an impressive postseason run last year, he’s back to his old tricks with three points in the first two games.
So far, Nashville has relied on a team approach to their scoring. Though they have 10 goals so far, only Watson and Filip Forsberg have more than one goal. Only five of their skaters have not recorded a point in the first two games.
Nashville only lost 16 games away from home all year (including just nine in regulation). However, they must win in a hostile environment, as Colorado lost just 13 games at home all season.
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On the other side of the ice, the Avalanche will likely be without Jonathan Bernier. Former Ottawa Senators goaltender (and 2015 hero) Andrew Hammond would get the start in net if he can’t go. They will also be without defenseman Samuel Girard. The Avs are looking to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole against the Central Division champions. They nearly pulled off an upset in Game 2. Colorado is hoping that gives them some momentum going into Game 3.
Live Stream Info
Date: Monday, April 16th
Start Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Pepsi Center
Location: Denver, Colorado
Series Lead: Nashville leads 2-0
TV Channel: NBCSN, SN, TVAS, ALT, Fox Sports-Tennessee
Live Stream: NBCSN
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This series has been an exciting one with two high-octane offenses. Game 3 should prove to be a pivotal game in this series. At the very least, it should feature a ton of goals.
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