7:00 PM CT – Avalanche (23-20-1) @ Predators (23-15-4)
Players to watch:
COL- Paul Stastny
Though Stastny doesn’t have great numbers against the Preds (7 points in 17 games), he has to step up in Matt Duchene’s absence.
NSH- Ryan Ellis
Ellis has looked comfortable since being a scratch last Thursday. In the two games since, he has four points (three on the power play).
Starting goaltenders:
COL- Jean-Sebastien Giguere (2011-12 stats: 9-6-0, 2.08 GAA)
NSH- Pekka Rinne (2011-12 stats: 21-11-4, 2.57 GAA)
Injury report:
COL- Erik Johnson (hand, questionable), Peter Mueller (concussion, questionable), Matt Duchene and Shane O’Brien (knee, out), Mark Olver (head, out)
NSH- Jerred Smithson (lower body, out)
Keys to the game:
COL- Sharp Giguere in net… With Semyon Varlamov looking off his game on Tuesday, expect the Avs to go with Giguere between the pipes tonight. The Avs need him to make saves early on to give some momentum to his team; you would expect the Preds will come out with a lot of energy, looking to sweep the home-and-home.
NSH- Power play success… The Preds struck again on the man advantage on Tuesday, pushing their record to 7-1-0 in their last eight games with a power play goal. The unit has been a catalyst over the last month-plus.
Numbers to know:
- The Preds are 12-7-3 at home this season … Colorado is 10-9-1 on the road.
- The Preds are 7-5-0 against the Northwest Division this season … Colorado is 6-5-0 against the Central.
- This is the second meeting of a rare home-and-home between the two clubs; the Preds won 4-1 on Tuesday in Denver. The Preds swept the season series last year, out-scoring the Avs 17-8 in four games.
- The Preds have won four straight home games vs. Colorado.
- Pekka Rinne is 8-3-0 with a 2.36 GAA and .909 save percentage in 11 career games vs. the Avalanche. His likely counterpart, J.S. Giguere, is 16-7-2 with a 2.02 GAA and .930 save percentage in 25 career games vs. Nashville.
- Patric Hornqvist has 12 points in 10 career games vs. Colorado.
- Martin Erat has 10 points in his last 5 games vs. Colorado.
- Power play rankings: Nashville (22.2%, 2nd) … Colorado (18.8%, 12th)
- Penalty kill: Nashville (81.5%, 20th) … Colorado (81.1%, 22nd)
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