Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators Game 3: Three keys to victory for Colorado
The third game of the Colorado Avalanche’s first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators turns to Music City. The Avalanche swept Games 1 and 2 in different fashions at Ball Arena and now looks to move one win from advancing to the second round after Saturday’s game at Bridgestone Arena.
Here are three keys for Colorado:
- Block out the noise. The Predators will play before a large party in Nashville, one of the toughest buildings in the league for visiting opponents. They went 25-14-2 at home in the regular season, winning five more games than on the road. The arena sits within a pitching wedge of Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, the world-famous honky-tonk on the Broadway strip, and it gets rockin’. The Avs have to weather the first 10 minutes and try to gain a lead or dominate the puck as they did throughout the first two games of the series. Gaining a 3-0 series lead would certainly make Game 4 a lot more comfortable for the Avs. “It will be rowdy, hostile,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said of Game 3.
2) Get shots past the first layer of defense. Nashville blocked an incredible 34 shots in Game 2. That and the fact rookie goalie Connor Ingram made 49 saves between Colorado’s first goal and the overtime winner were the main reasons why the game required overtime. The Avs need to continue to besiege Ingram from every angle but perhaps look more for the second option, the creative opening that fools the shot-blocker. If Ingram plays as well as he did in Game 2, the Avs need to be hungry for rebounds off a body or the end boards. Colorado doesn’t want Ingram to gain any more confidence that he can steal a game — as he nearly did in Game 2.
3) Continue to control Forsberg. Preds right winger Filip Forsberg is pointless in the series. He had six shots in Game 2, not including one off the iron beside Avs goalie Darcy Kuemper, but has been largely held in check. That’s critical for the Avs. Forsberg plays on a stellar line with center Mikail Granlund and Matt Duchene, and Granlund had two assists on Duchene’s goals in Game 1. Otherwise, Colorado’s team defense has been tremendous and needs to continue. If the Avs again allow no more than two goals in Game 3, they’ll likely win based on the 96 shots and nine goals they have generated thus far.
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