*** 2021-22 Playoffs Opening Round: Nashville Predators (WC2) at Colorado Avalanche (C1) - (COL WINS 4-0) ***

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Season Series:
Predators won it, 3-1-0

Highly touted Avalanche against a Preds team not many (myself included) thought would be invited into the SC playoffs....LEAST of all, with the boast of having taken the season series from Colorado.

Over the course of the season, Nashville has proven themselves more than the sum of their parts and even on nights when they weren't their best as a team, Juuse Saros was there to bail them out.

Playoffs are a different beast of course and make no mistake, the Avalanche are here to try and win it all. Regular season now means nothing and they have several guys, aside from the usual big names, who are having career years and look determined to make sure a new SC champion is crowned this season.

But is Darcy Kuemper the answer for them in goal.
I'd say Saros is the real deal and Kuemper will have to try and live up the Nsh goalie's play.
He just might though...Darcy has looked GREAT in many games this year.
But Darcy has also looked like a Coyotes and Wild reject on more than a few occasions as well.

Preds lock horns with the Avs!
Series talk goes right here!

Edited May 11, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[Math]

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

 

Colorado in 6.

 

 

[Trash Queen]

With Saros most likely out I don't see how the Preds have much of a chance here.

 

Avs in 5. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And so, here we are, the Colorado Avalanche, posting the best points in the Western Conference, at the moment, backing up all those who were hailing them as the next Stanley Cup Champions.

And then we have Nashville, a team that I thought was one that could possibly upset the Avalanche should they meet them in post season play.
The same Preds who I wasn't sure what to make of at pre-season, wasn't completely sure what to make of them during the season, and honestly, still don't know what to make of them now.

On paper, they look TERRIBLE against the Avalanche....and against other teams as well.
Yet, they do play a team game, they hit, score, defend...I mean, everything executed right........for the most part.....AND with Juuse Saros in net.

I agree with the above poster that without Saros in net (Rittich and Ingram are the options....may the hockey gods help them), these Predators will be hard pressed to pull out the series upset, as opposed to having him in there where I probably would have made this my SECOND upset special (behind Wsh def. Fla).

Preds play hard, to the point they were one of the most, if not THE most penalized team in the league, but unfortunately for them, that will be a liability in the playoffs, and against this potent Colorado PP.

Grudgingly going with Colorado in 5 because, unless Juuse Saros gets back in there quickly and plays well, or Darcy Kuemper falters badly, I don't see the Preds doing any better than stealing one game away, because the Avs have LOTS up front and on their blue line now.
And that really is a shame because a fully healthy and functioning Nashville team would have made this a hell of a series, and had the potential to boot the "mighty" Avs.

[yave1964]

Avs in six saros keeps it close

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 minute ago, yave1964 said:

Avs in six saros keeps it close

 

IF he plays!

Currently out with no timetable for return, sad to say.
I really wanted to go upset here.

[yave1964]

10 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

IF he plays!

Currently out with no timetable for return, sad to say.
I really wanted to go upset here.

Oh crap somehow missed that. Unless rittich is the new big game Dave probably a sweep

[mojo1917]

Daryl Sutter's "that's 8 days that won't be fun" quote seems to have some wisdom. 

Without Saros it is hard to see a way forward for the Predators. 

With Saros it is still hard to see a way forward for them. 

NSH play heavy and skate well but I don't think they can match up with the full quiver Avs .

[Buffalo Rick]

Colorado in 5.  Only because Nashville is bound to get lucky once and Colorado has been off their game, but they will win

[Brewin Flames]

Avs erupt for 5 goals in 1st, beat Predators 7-2 in Game 1

 

 

0:37

 

 

 

0:11

/

0:37

 

 

 

 

 

Avs score their fifth goal of the first period

Colorado scores its fifth goal of the first period as David Rittich is removed from the game.

---

ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

DENVER -- — The fast, scoring-spree start by Colorado led to some feistiness later on with Nashville. But through all those pushes and shoves, the Avalanche maintained their composure.

 

Precisely what their coach wants to see.

 

“This isn’t about ego,” Jared Bednar said. “It’s about winning.”

 

Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews scored 22 seconds apart in a five-goal first period, sending the Avalanche to a 7-2 win over the Predators on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

 

“We talked about it beforehand — about coming out with a fast start,” said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who made his return after undergoing knee surgery in mid-March. “We were just sticking to our game, playing hard and playing fast."

 

Then, they kept their emotions in check.

 

“No team wants to get blown out, whether it’s at home or on the road,” Landeskog said. "If the results aren't going your way, then you try to impact the game in a different way. That’s just the way it is.”

 

The five goals tied the team playoff record for a period and chased Nashville's backup goaltender David Rittich from the game with 4:56 remaining in the first. Rittich was stepping in for 38-game winner Juuse Saros, who’s sidelined with a lower-body injury.

 

Andrew Cogliano, Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen also scored in the first. Landeskog built the lead to 6-0 when he was credited for a goal in the second period that was kicked in by a Nashville player.

 

Just the way the night went for Colorado.

 

MacKinnon scored his second goal of the game in the third period and, coupled with an assist, raised his playoff points per game average to 1.41. It trails only Wayne Gretzky (1.84) and Mario Lemieux (1.61), with a minimum of 40 games.

 

Matt Duchene scored twice for Nashville.

 

“We've got to be a lot better and push back a lot better than we did tonight," said Duchene, who was a first-round pick of Colorado in 2009.

Darcy Kuemper finished with 23 saves.

 

Game 2 is Thursday, which also happens to be Kuemper’s 32nd birthday.

 

Since moving to Denver, the Avalanche boast a 17-6 record in best-of-seven playoff series when they win the first game. On the flip side, the Predators are 0-7 when starting a best-of-seven series with a road loss.

 

Colorado scored virtually every way imaginable: On a power play (MacKinnon), short-handed (Cogliano), opposing player kicking it in on another power play (Landeskog got the credit for a puck knocked in by defenseman Mark Borowiecki) and, of course, even strength (Toews, Makar, Lehkonen and MacKinnon again).

 

The Avalanche outshot the Predators by a 45-25 margin.

 

“We were a little nervous, a little tight,” Duchene said. “You can’t be against that team because that team comes at you fast and you've got to think fast and defuse them when they’re playing at their best.”

 

Things turned chippy after the horn to end the second period. Philip Tomasino got into it with Lehkonen. Close by, Luke Kunin shoved down Nazem Kadri, who got a shot in before being pulled away.

 

In the third period, the game got even more chippy with Mathieu Olivier drawing a misconduct penalty.

 

“It’s not something we’re shying away from,” Landeskog said of the physical play. “We responded well tonight.”

 

Cogliano scored his first goal for the Avalanche since being acquired from San Jose on March 21. He took advantage of a Mattias Ekholm turnover with the Predators on the power play and lined it in through a small window.

 

Cogliano later left the game with an upper-body injury.

 

The sleek move of the game was turned in by Makar, who zipped around Tanner Jeannot with a nifty move near the blue line, skated down the left side and banked in a shot off the mask of Rittich.

 

Lehkonen's score to make it 5-0 with 4:56 left in the first and put an end to Rittich's night. He was replaced by Connor Ingram, who had appeared in only three NHL games before Tuesday. Ingram had 30 saves.

 

“I thought Connor looked good,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “He looked calm. He looked poised. He made some good saves.”

 

RECORD START

 

The goals by MacKinnon and Toews were in the first 2:42, making it the fastest pair of goals to start a playoff game in Colorado/Quebec franchise history.

 

The old mark belonged to Valeri Kamensky and Peter Forsberg, who scored in the opening 2:54 during Game 2 of the 1998 conference quarterfinals, according to NHL Stats.

 

MAKAR'S MARK

 

Makar became the third defenseman in team history to record three points in a period during a playoff game. He joined Sandis Ozolinsh (April 13, 2000) and Risto Siltanen (April 14, 1987).

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY?

 

On his 27th birthday, Avs forward Nico Sturm received a hard check in the second period that knocked him down. He had to be helped off the ice, holding his arm, but later returned.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

When all Game 1's are taken into account, I think this was the only one where the result was pretty much what most expected.

Calgary beating Dallas was expected too, but Dallas played tough and on occasion, looked like they could tie.
Nashville showed absolutely NOTHING as the underdog here.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Nashville played pretty well in Game 2.... STILL going home in an 0-2 hole.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

7-3 win for the Avalanche and an iron grip 3-0 lead in the series.

Fortunately for Nashville, their order of boxed cliches has arrived and they can now start using some while they try to stave off elimination from here on out.
They can win 4 in a for against a team they are overmatched against, right? Right?

Ummm...yea.
Ok, one game at a time...
Focus on the task at hand...
Win one before you can win another....
4th game is the hardest for the Avs to win...

Hmm, I don't know...those cliches sure don't seem effective.
Maybe there are some new ones in the box? 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And down they go.... 4 game flush of the Nashville Predators.

Guessing the Preds simply weren't 'robust' enough!  

Congrats to the Avalanche, but would having Juuse Saros made any difference?
Not so sure about that either.

Avs just look good. Hungry. Ready.
They now await the beat up carcass of whomever comes out of the brutal St. Louis-Minnesota series.
 

[Toronto Jules]

Congratulations to the Colorado Avalanche. They are one step closer. This also gives much needed rest for Darcy Kuemper .