Predators look to get early series lead against the Avalanche tonight

The Nashville Predators face off against the Colorado Avalanche tonight at Bridgestone Arena for the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight for the Nashville Predators, as they take on the Colorado Avalanche.

The hype around Nashville is different this year. The Predators come into these playoffs as the No. 1 team after winning the Central Division, Western Conference, and the President’s Trophy, were as last year, they limped into the playoffs as the 16th overall seed and at the 2nd wild card spot.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche have had an amazing turn of events over the last two years. The Avalanche had an awful record of 22-58-4 and only had a total of 48 points. They turned it around this year, posting a record of 43-30-9 and a total of 95 points. This is also the first playoff appearance for the Avalanche since the 2013-2014 season.

Nathan MacKinnon has been a huge reason for that success, as he boasts 97 points on the year with 39 goals and 58 assists. MacKinnon can make a great case for the Hart Trophy, considering he was 5th in the NHL in points scored and helped turn around the worst record in hockey to a playoff berth.

Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog have also shown out for the Avalanche this year. Rantenen has posted 84 points on the year, including 29 goals, while Landeskog has 62 points and 25 goals.

The Avalanche have suffered some key injuries over the last few weeks. Starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov suffered a knee injury, sidelining him for at least the first round of the playoffs. Erik Johnson, a key defensemen for the Avalanche suffered a fractured patella and is expected to be out for at least six-to-eight weeks. MacKinnon took a maintenance day and didn’t practice on Monday, but is likely just for precautionary reasons.

Projected Lineup

Both Calle Jarnkrok and Yannick Weber participated in the optional morning skate this morning for the Predators. Both players likely won’t see action tonight, but it’s good to see those players get back into the swing of things. Maybe we will end up seeing those players later in the series.

The Predators haven’t announced the starting goaltender yet, but it will likely be Pekka Rinne, a favorite for the Vezina Trophy.

Austin Watson was moved to the 3rd line with Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino. The 4th line for tonight will be Miika Salomake – Mike Fisher – Ryan Hartman.

What To Expect

The Avalanche come in here as the 16th overall seed, just like the Predators last year. The Predators know how important of a series this will be for Avalanche, and that’s why I expect the Predators to come out like they have all season long.

The JoFA line has been outstanding once again for the Predators, and I fully expect for them to show out and produce points throughout this series. The Avalanche come into this series with a chip on their shoulder. They were the NHL’s worst team last year, but have a chance to come into this series and show that they are here to stay.

The Avalanche are a young quick team and have one of the best players in the NHL on their teams, so Rinne will need to be on his A-game all series long. If he is able to do that, the Predators should be able to produce enough offense to help propel them into the next round.

Where To Watch

There will be many watch parties around Nashville throughout the playoffs, including both inside and outside of the arena.

If you can’t make it downtown, you will be able to watch the game on NBCSN. Puck drop will be around 8:30 Central. You can also listen to the game on 102.5 The Game.