NASHVILLE — The Colorado Avalanche controlled its first game back from the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off break, but the inability to convert chances into enough goals at times returned as well.
Juuse Saros made 31 saves to help the Nashville Predators hold off the Avs in a 2-1 win Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena.
“Take the result out of it, I’m actually really happy with the way we played,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “I liked our energy. I liked our skating. I felt like we made a lot of plays coming out of our zone. We had a tough time scoring tonight. That was it.”
Colorado had nearly twice as many shots on goal (32-17) and more than 60 percent of the expected goals, per Natural Stat Track, but actual pucks in the net were hard to come by. Nathan MacKinnon, less than 48 hours removed from helping Canada win the 4 Nations tournament and earning MVP honors, led the Avalanche with eight shots on goal.
Jonathan Marchessault put Nashville in front midway through the third period. Luke Schenn’s shot from the right point went wide, but the carom off the back boards came right to Marchessault near the left post, and was able to tuck it into the net before Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood could recover.
Logan O’Connor hit the post with just more than three minutes left in the third period, and MacKinnon set up Cale Makar for a great chance as well. But Artturi Lehkonen’s double-minor for high-sticking with 2:24 remaining effectively ended the Avs’ hopes of a comeback.
The Avs won four of five before the break, but prior to that Colorado had lost four times in a five-game stretch despite out-shooting its foe in all of the defeats.
“Credit to (Saros), he played well,” Colton said. “I think we’ve got to do a better job of getting some bodies in front of him, take away his eyes. If he’s just kicking them out with nobody in front of him, it’s going to be an easy night for him.”
After a low-event opening period, both teams scored quickly to start the second. Sam Malinski put the Avalanche in front just 1:15 after the intermission.
Casey Mittelstadt started the sequence by absorbing a hit in the defensive zone but still igniting a rush in the other direction. Ex-Predators forward Jusso Parssinen collected his pass and then connected with Jonathan Drouin on the far side of the ice.
Malinski teed up a drop pass from Drouin and blasted a shot into the top-left corner of the net for his second goal of the season.
Colorado’s lead didn’t last long. Justin Barron, a 2020 first-round pick by the Avalanche, evened the score for Nashville 30 seconds after Malinski’s tally. Barron, who was traded to Montreal in the Artturi Lehkonen deal ahead of the 2022 trade deadline, collected a pass from Colton Sissons and placed a shot through a maze of bodies in front of Wedgewood.
The Avs began the stretch run in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They are now four points behind Minnesota for third place in the Central Division and six back of Dallas for second, though both of those teams have games in hand.
Saros began the 4 Nations tournament as Finland’s goaltender, but he allowed six goals in the first game against the United States and was replaced as the starter for the final two contests. This has been Saros’ worst season since becoming Nashville’s starter five years ago, but he looked a lot more like the goalie who finished in the top-six of the Vezina Trophy voting each of the past four campaigns.
“(The Predators) did a nice job, especially in the third period of getting in some lanes, getting some blocks,” Bednar said. “They got some big saves. They played desperate in the house (area in front of the net) when we broke them down.
“Our message on the bench was stick with it. If you repeat it enough times, eventually they’ll go in for you but tonight they didn’t.”
Wedgewood got his first start for the Avs since Jan. 25, the day after Colorado traded Mikko Rantanen to Carolina for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. He missed the final three games before the 4 Nations break with an upper-body injury.
This was Wedgewood’s first time playing against the Predators since Colorado traded backup goalie Justus Annunen for him on Dec. 1.
“Honestly, (I felt) really good,” Wedgewood said. “Proud of it all. Screen goal and a bounce off the end wall and that’s the only way they got to beat me tonight. … I felt what I wanted to feel. It was a long break, and two unfortunate situations to battle through, but the break did me some good.”
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