It was the kind of night Colorado hasn’t seen much lately: tight, tense, and decided by the smallest of margins. The Avalanche did enough to give themselves a chance against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, but they couldn’t cash in when it mattered most and left with a 3-2 overtime loss.
That final result came after Colorado had a late power play in regulation with 3:08 left and the game tied 2-2. The Avalanche had a shot to grab the lead, but the chance slipped away. Then in overtime, Steven Stamkos finished a four-on-three power-play goal to send Nashville home with the extra point.
For Jared Bednar, the bigger picture was less about the missed opportunity and more about the kind of test his team is going through right now.
“I think there’s enough that we can show, and some things that we can continue to improve on,” Bednar said, as the Avs fell to 6-1-2 at home. “I think they should feel good about their effort, you know, our effort, and that’s where it starts for me.
Now go repeat that same effort, clean some things up. Like this is a process.
We’re in game whatever it is, 17.”
Colorado is 9-6-2 and sits eighth in the Western Conference. A second point Thursday would have moved the Avalanche to second in the Central Division, but instead they settled for one in a game that demanded a lot more than the run-and-gun nights they’ve had recently.
Sam Malinski said the style of play itself can be useful.
“It’s kind of like playoff hockey in a way. Everybody’s defending well, low scoring, and just you know, kind of a gritty game,” Malinski said. “So yeah, it’s good to play those right now.”
The Avalanche got goals from Jaden Schwartz and Parker Kelly, but their power play went 0-for-3 and the penalty kill was forced into a late overtime sequence after holding Nashville off on four earlier chances. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 of 25 shots and dropped to 8-3-1.
Devon Toews said the group can take something from the way this one played out.
“It’s a stepping stone to where we want to go,” Toews said. “I think it’s a better blueprint of what we need to do night in, night out, in order to have success in this league.”
Toews also hit the post in overtime before taking the penalty that led to Stamkos’ winner.
Nashville struck first when Ross Colton buried the fourth shot in a scramble around Blackwood’s crease just 4:01 into the game. The Predators had the better of the opening period, but Colorado answered at 9:11 when Brock Nelson’s forecheck forced a turnover behind the Nashville net. Martin Necas turned that into a setup for Schwartz, who scored his seventh goal of the season from the slot.
The Predators went back in front with a slick finish from Vitali Pinchuk, the undrafted 24-year-old rookie who joined Nashville as a free agent from the KHL. Pinchuk had little space to work with, but still lifted a backhand past Blackwood and into the top of the net for his first NHL goal.
Colorado tied it again at 5:08 of the second period. Parker Kelly, working on a two-on-one with Fedor Svechkov, looked over at his linemate before deciding to keep the puck and shoot. The choice paid off, as his shot beat former Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen over the shoulder and into the top of the net.
From there, neither team found the winner in regulation. Colorado did look sharper defensively after a messy first period, tightening up and limiting Nashville’s chances once the game settled in. But the special teams battle ended up tilting the wrong way, and the Avalanche were left with a night that showed both progress and the problems they still need to clean up.
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