Yahoo Sports Predators Begin Road Trip with 3-2 OT Loss to Avalanche
Colton Sissons scored the tying goal in the third period to take the game to overtime, but the Nashville Predators fell to the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, Monday at Ball Arena.
Sissons and Luke Evangelista were the goal scorers for the Predators, who settled for a point in the OT loss and moved to 5-9-2 on the season. Juuse Saros turned aside 29 shots for a .906 save percentage.
How the Predators lined up vs. Colorado
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Stamkos
Marchessault - Sissons - Nyquist
Tomasino - Pärssinen - Evangelista
L'Heureux - McCarron - Smith
Josi - Skjei
Lauzon - Carrier
Del Gaizo - Schenn
Saros
Wedgewood
Extra: Jankowski, Novak*
*Tommy Novak missed his third straight game and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Game Summary
For the second consecutive game, the Predators were the first team to score. Less than two minutes into the first period, Marc Del Gaizo drew an interference penalty and was able to get a shot through from the blue line. Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made the save, but Luke Evangelista buried the rebound for his second goal of the season – and the Predators' earliest goal of the campaign.
Any momentum the Predators had built during a strong first period began to dissipate during the second, when they allowed the Avalanche back into the game with two unanswered goals.
Zach L'Heureux was whistled for cross-checking just over two minutes into the second period, and just as Nashville's power play expired, Devon Toews fired a shot from the point through traffic that bounced off a Predators players and into the back of the net. Just over seven minutes later, Mikko Rantanen beat Saros with a slap shot from the circle to give the Avalanche their first lead of the game.
Sissons scored the tying goal for Nashville in the opening minute of the third period. Roman Josi kept the puck in the offensive zone and held a shot fake to clear a lane to find Sissons on the doorstep, where he beat Georgiev to make it 2-2.
The game went to overtime, and just over midway through the 3-on-3 frame, former Predators defenseman Samuel Girard broke away away and finished top-shelf against Saros after Brady Skjei fell down along the boards.
Key Takeaways
Nashville's "Kid Line" of Evangelista, Philip Tomasino and Juuso Pärssinen continues to be one of the team's most effective forward lines since being assembled rather haphazardly before Wednesday's game against the Washington Capitals. Evangelista, initially set to be a healthy scratch against Washington, entered the lineup at the last minute when Novak was scratched late due to injury. The trio has since skated together in four games, combining for eight points and 2.33 expected goals for per 60 according to MoneyPuck.com.
Predators forward Gustav Nyquist skated in his 800th career NHL game Monday.
Up Next
The Predators will continue their five-game road trip Thursday with a visit to the Edmonton Oilers. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast regionally on FanDuel Sports Network South and on ESPN+ for out-of-market customers in the United States.
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