Holden helps Avs hang on against Preds
The official game recap Nashville Predators vs Colorado Avalanche.The Colorado Avalanche remained unbeaten in regulation for the sixth straight game with a 5-4 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday.
The Avalanche improved to 31-12-5, including 5-0-1 in their past six games and 8-1-2 in their past 11.
They jumped on Nashville (21-22-7) for three quick goals in the first period, spoiling the Predators debut of goalie Devan Dubnyk, who was acquired on Wednesday in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers. He made 24 saves but trailed 3-0 12:05 into the game.
Colorado defenseman Nick Holden, who entered the game with two goals in 27 NHL games, scored twice and had an assist.
The Avalanche took advantage of some defensive confusion by the Predators to score at 6:21 of the first period. Colorado unleashed three shots in a span of 12 seconds, the first a 50-foot slap shot from Holden. Later, Holden skated in from the point and put in a rebound of Nathan MacKinnon's backhander, which deflected to the opposite side of the ice and left the goal wide open. The secondary assist went to Paul Stastny, who missed the previous two games with a leg injury.
Another Colorado defenseman, Jan Hejda, scored to make it 2-0 with 8:33 left in the first. Hejda's slap shot from near the right boards eluded Dubnyk to the wide side, looking as if it deflected off Nashville's Eric Nystrom.
Continuing to capitalize on sloppy defensive play by Nashville, the Avalanche went ahead 3-0 38 seconds later. Gabriel Landeskog scored his 14th goal from below the right faceoff dot after Nashville had full control but could not clear the zone. Again, assists went to MacKinnon and Stastny. After that goal, Nashville coach Barry Trotz called timeout and appeared to read his team the riot act.
Nashville pulled within 3-1 late in the second period with the help of a two-minute 5-on-3. Landeskog received a an elbowing penalty for a high hit on Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, and Erik Johnson went off for roughing after he intervened when Nashville's Paul Gaustad went after Landeskog. The Predators needed 35 seconds to score, when Mike Fisher fed Patric Hornqvist in the goalmouth for Hornqvist's 10th. The Predators could not score on the second half of the power play.
Nashville thought it scored its second goal before the end of the second period but a video review confirmed that time had run out.
Holden scored his second of the game at 2:31 of the third period with a slap shot that trickled through Dubnyk's left pad.
Matt Duchene added a power-play goal from a steep angle between Dubnyk's back and the goal post at 6:31. Holden got the primary assist.
Nashville's Craig Smith stuffed home a rebound of Roman Josi's shot with 11:46 left for Smith's team-leading 15th goal to make it 5-2. Ellis scored on a slap shot from the point with 7:15 to go, and Josi scored his fifth of the season with 2:57 remaining on a rebound to pull the Predators within one.
-- by John Manasso for NHL.com --
Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
19/01/2014 - 05:00
