MacKinnon's Avalanche Roll Into Nashville to Test Struggling Predators
Colorado arrives at Bridgestone Arena sitting at 6-4-1, carrying one of the most dangerous offensive engines in the league. Nashville, at 3-3-4, desperately needs a regulation win — and tonight's home game is as good an opportunity as any to find one.
The gap between these two teams right now isn't just in the standings — it's in the star power on the ice. Nathan MacKinnon is operating at a different altitude than almost anyone in the NHL this season, posting 20 points through 11 games, including 13 assists. That's not a hot streak; that's a player dictating the terms of every game he's in. Alongside him, Artturi Lehkonen has been a finishing machine with 9 goals already — a pace that would make him one of the league's top goal-scorers over a full season. Colorado's offense isn't a one-man show, but MacKinnon and Lehkonen are making it look like one.
Nashville's best hope of keeping this competitive runs through Steven Stamkos and Roman Josi. Stamkos leads the Predators with 11 points and 5 goals, which is respectable production, but it pales against what Colorado is generating at the top of their lineup. Josi's 8 assists show he's still facilitating at a high level from the blue line, and if Nashville is going to manufacture anything tonight, it'll likely flow through him. The Predators' 3-3-4 record — heavy on the ties — suggests a team that's competitive but can't close, and that's a dangerous profile to bring into a game against Colorado's firepower.
In net, Scott Wedgewood is expected to start for the Avalanche, while Justus Annunen is projected in net for Nashville. Neither starter is a household name, which means the goaltending matchup is genuinely open — and that could matter in a game where Colorado's offense should generate volume. There's no validated model read for this one, so we're not handing you a pick. What we can say is this: Nashville needs to win in regulation to start climbing out of their overtime-heavy hole, and doing that against a MacKinnon-led Colorado team at full throttle is a tall order. Watch Josi and Stamkos early — if Nashville can set the tone before Colorado's engine warms up, this gets interesting fast.