Oct 20, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) warms up on the ice earlier than the sport between the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche at SAP Middle at San Jose. Obligatory Credit score: Robert Edwards-Imagn Photographs After dropping two straight video games following a five-game successful streak, the Colorado Avalanche hope to regain their rhythm Saturday night time within the Music Metropolis.
Colorado is reeling from consecutive 5-2 defeats on residence ice forward of its highway assembly with the Nashville Predators within the first of 4 regular-season matchups between the Central Division squads.
The Avalanche went 5-6-0 in October however closed the month with a pair of duds — an identical three-goal setbacks in opposition to the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning loss was notably irritating to Colorado coach Jared Bednar.
The Avs have been down 3-0 lower than six minutes into the sport after Conor Geekie potted his second profession objective in opposition to Kaapo Kahkonen, who was making his Colorado debut between the pipes.
Bednar mentioned a handful of errors by a few of his youthful gamers, compelled to play attributable to quite a few accidents, harm the membership within the opening interval.
“If you happen to simply have a look at the possibilities we gave up early within the recreation,” Bednar mentioned. “It is consciousness errors like younger gamers make in simply not studying it fast sufficient and never getting fairly in the proper spot.
“I believe should you take these … performs out of it, we defended onerous and defended nicely in opposition to a very gifted staff that may be … tremendous harmful.”
Cale Makar (objective, help) and Nathan MacKinnon (two assists) stretched their respective season-opening level streaks to 11 video games however couldn’t rally the Avalanche in a tough push within the third interval.
Makar, who has 4 targets and 15 assists, joined Bobby Orr as the one two defensemen who began a season with level streaks of no less than 11 video games. Orr’s streak to start out the 1973-74 marketing campaign ended at 15 video games.
Colorado and Nashville are amongst 5 of the eight Central groups with a dropping document getting into the season’s first full month.
Like their opponent Saturday, the Predators have additionally misplaced two straight.
Nashville dropped a 3-2 additional time choice at Tampa Bay earlier than being rolled 5-1 at residence on Thursday by Edmonton, which was with out star heart Connor McDavid.
Filip Forsberg supplied the Predators’ lone tally Thursday with an unassisted power-play objective within the first interval that evened the sport at 1.
Nashville outhit the Oilers 30-20 and trailed in complete photographs by simply two (29-27), however the membership might by no means discover the traction to beat 32-year-old journeyman goalie Calvin Pickard, who stopped 26 photographs to win for the third time in 4 selections this season.
Regardless of Forsberg’s tally, the competition appeared to get away from the house facet as quickly as former Predators ahead Viktor Arvidsson netted one for Edmonton simply 37 seconds in.
“First shift,” head coach Andrew Brunette mentioned. “We weren’t able to play. (It is like) pounding a sq. peg in a spherical gap right here, saying they are a determined staff, and we now have to match it. And (we) got here out and did not match proper from the beginning, and we chased the sport once more.”
Nashville had its four-game level streak (3-0-1) snapped and completed October 3-6-1.
Predators third-line left winger Juuso Parssinen performed on Thursday for the primary time since his season debut on Oct. 15. The staff introduced on Friday that heart Mark Jankowski (higher physique) is day-to-day.
–Subject Degree Media
