Avalanche clinch Central Division title; 3 takeaways from road win at Predators
Apr. 14—The Colorado Avalanche beat the Predators, 4-3, in their regular season finale Friday night in Nashville. Here are three takeaways from Bridgestone Arena:
The Avs are the Central Division champions. It's impressive considering the team lost more than 450 combined man-games due to widespread injuries. Colorado now has home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the postseason. Up next, Game 1 Tuesday night versus the Seattle Kraken at Ball Arena.
It was the Nathan MacKinnon show. He scored the game-winner with 1:42 left in regulation for a hat trick. It also marked goal No. 42 on the season, a new single-season career best total. His second goal of the night was his most impressive in recent memory. MacKinnon threaded in between multiple defenders before a long toe drag and backhand finish past Nashville goalie Kevin Lankinen. A thing of beauty.
Mikko Rantanen had an injury scare. Thank goodness, it was nothing to worry about. But he took a blindside hit in the right shoulder area from Predators forward Yakov Trenin early in the first period. Then Rantanen briefly went into the visitor's dressing room. The tension finally lifted when Rantanen later returned to the bench. He finished the game with two assists in 19:02 of ice time.
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Avalanche 4, Predators 3
What happened: Colorado finished the season strong with a comeback win in Nashville to secure the Central Division crown.
What went right: Nathan MacKinnon notched the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to go in regulation. MacKinnon paced the team with four points (three goals, one assist). Devon Toews scored 28 seconds into the first period with a deep shot through traffic from the blue line.
What went wrong: Nashville's Kiefer Sherwood, formerly with the Avalanche, scored a goal in the first period. The Predators notched two unanswered goals in the second period from Luke Evangelista and Sherwood (again) to tie the game, 3-3. The Avs went 0/4 on power play chances.
Between the pipes: Alexandar Georgiev made 18-of-21 saves. Nashville's Kevin Lankinen stopped 30 of Colorado's 34 shots on goal.
What's ahead: The Avalanche host the Seattle Kraken, 8 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN) at Ball Arena in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
