The Colorado Avalanche will attempt to extend their winning streak to a season high-tying four games on Friday night when they visit the Nashville Predators.
Colorado, which previously won four in a row from Nov. 4-12, began its current run of good fortune with a 3-1 victory over Nashville last Saturday in Denver. The Avalanche followed that up with a 1-0 shootout win over the New York Islanders two nights later and a 2-1 overtime victory versus the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
Mikko Rantanen tallied twice in Colorado’s 5-3 win over Nashville on Nov. 10 and converted on the power play in last Saturday’s encounter with the Predators. He then capped a two-point performance against the Canadiens by scoring at 1:51 of overtime.
“It is (fun). It is because we win, right,” Rantanen said following Wednesday’s game. “That’s the biggest thing for me too. So, I’m glad I was able to help with that.”
Rantanen boasts team-leading totals in goals (22) and points (40) this season. He has 11 and 15, respectively, over his last 15 games.
Star defenseman Cale Makar set up Artturi Lehkonen’s power-play goal in the third period on Wednesday to record his 22nd assist, which is four shy of the team lead held by injured star Nathan MacKinnon. Makar, the reigning Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner, collected a goal and an assist in last Saturday’s meeting with Nashville.
The Predators have answered a six-game winless skid (0-4-2) by posting back-to-back victories.
“I think the most important thing is when you go through a little bit of a tough stretch, you have to work to get better and get back to an identity that gives you a chance to win. I think we’ve done that,” Nashville coach John Hynes said after his team’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.
Captain Roman Josi became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer after recording a goal and an assist on Wednesday. Josi’s 567 points in 791 games eclipsed the total of David Legwand, who had 566 in 956 contests with the Predators.
“It’s definitely a huge honor,” said Josi, who joins Hall of Famer Ray Bourque (Boston) as the lone defensemen in NHL history to lead an active franchise in points.
“I think just being here for that long, it’s something I never dreamed of when I first started in the NHL. So many people that put a lot of trust in me, so many people I’m thankful for, teammates who have been here for so long, staff, everyone. It’s definitely a huge honor.”
Josi scored a goal in the first meeting with the Avalanche this season. His 18 assists are tops on the team, while his 25 points are even with Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene for top honors for the club.
Duchene, who played for Colorado from 2009 to 2017, scored against his former team to begin his current three-game goal streak.
–Field Level Media
