Ryan O’Reilly drove a four-goal Nashville power play with two goals and two assists Sunday, and the Predators rolled past the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 at Bridgestone Arena. Steven Stamkos scored twice, Filip Forsberg posted a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi supplied three helpers in a complete special-teams response from Nashville.
Predators power play takes over
Nashville went 4-for-7 with the extra skater, its first four-power-play-goal game since Jan. 7, 2012. The total matched the third-highest single-game power-play output in franchise history.
- Forsberg opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first period. Stamkos kept Logan O’Connor’s clearing try inside the zone along the boards, Josi recovered the puck, and Forsberg snapped a shot from the high slot.
- O’Reilly made it 3-0 at 6:38 of the second, settling Josi’s pass with his skate before turning and lifting a backhand over Scott Wedgewood.
- His second goal came at 17:29 of the middle frame, a wrist shot that pushed the lead to 5-0.
- Stamkos finished the scoring at 10:24 of the third on a 5-on-3. O’Reilly collected a rebound behind the Colorado net and fed Stamkos for a right-side wrist shot with Wedgewood caught out of position.
“The best players are the ones who usually decide the most games, and ours did that,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. He called the work of Nashville’s top players a demonstration of puck strength and connection, while pointing to the power play as a key ingredient.
Stamkos said Colorado’s coverage presented openings that Nashville recognized and used. “They were taking away certain options and giving up others,” he said. “We made them pay for it.”
Quick start gives Nashville control
Stamkos put the Predators up 2-0 at 10:48 of the opening period, though the goal needed a review. His wrist shot struck Wedgewood and bounced toward the line. Cale Makar tried to knock it away, but replay confirmed that the puck had crossed completely.
“When I got back to the bench, I did not think it had counted,” Stamkos said. “The guys were telling me it was not in. Then it appeared on the video board, and I started wondering if it might have gone across.”
Nashville’s former Avalanche forwards teamed up for the next one. Ross Colton found Jack Drury alone near Wedgewood’s blocker side at 16:36 of the second period, and Drury worked a backhand around the goaltender’s glove to make it 4-0.
Drury said he was pleased to share the moment with Colton in their first game against Colorado since joining the Predators. The pair nearly connected late in the second period of Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh, he noted, before Colton made the play that produced Sunday’s goal.
Avalanche push arrives too late
Artturi Lehkonen finally got Colorado on the board at 17:55 of the second period, redirecting a Martin Necas centering pass. The goal extended Lehkonen’s point streak to seven games, during which he has seven goals and three assists.
Devon Toews cut the deficit to 5-2 with a wrist shot at 2:43 of the third during 4-on-4 play, but Nashville restored its five-goal cushion on Stamkos’ second of the afternoon.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar said his club failed in two areas it had emphasized before the game: using its skating to pressure Nashville and staying out of the penalty box. The Avalanche, who had been waiting at home while Nashville completed a road back-to-back, instead looked like the less energetic side, he said.
- O’Reilly: two goals, two assists
- Stamkos: two goals, one assist
- Forsberg: one goal, two assists
- Josi: three assists
- Necas: two assists
- Justus Annunen: 19 saves for Nashville
- Wedgewood: 29 saves for Colorado
Notebook
The Predators improved to 4-3-4 and have collected points in four of their past five games, going 2-1-2 in that stretch. Colorado fell to 6-5-1 and has dropped three of its last four.
Brunette said Nashville had “20 drivers” in the win, with players seizing their chances to push the pace. He said the performance showed the standard his group is trying to establish, even if it cannot be replicated perfectly every night.
Defenseman Daemon Hunt made his Nashville debut, recording two shots and one hit in 9:34. Avalanche forward Nicolas Roy missed a sixth consecutive game with a lower-body injury.
