In this Central Division matchup between the Preds and the Avs, we’ll have the privilege of watching the two best offensive defenseman. Roman Josi of Nashville has 95 points and is the frontrunner for the Norris trophy which goes to the best defenseman. Cale Makar of Colorado on the other hand has 86 points and has made some sparkling plays this year. My personal favorite is the goal in overtime where he went top cheddar on the backhand to beat Fleury in Chicago.
The Preds have had some great moments this year and some players really stood out to me. Rookie Tanner Jeannot is in his 1st year but he has looked like he has been in the league forever. He leads the NHL in fights and is pretty much the opposite of shy. He has two dozen goals and has the 3rd most goals on his team. I really like this guy and I think that he’ll be important if the Preds are going to win. One tough thing for the Predators is that Juuse Saros will be out for at least the 1st two games. It’s up to Dave Rittich to stop goals against a stacked Avs offense and limit their chances. I believe that the Preds have to not let MacKinnon run the show and stop the top line. It is hard to defend MacKinnon but they have to find a way. It’s a tough ask but the Nashville Predators could possibly beat the 2nd best team in the league.
The pressure is on the Avs and the spotlight is on them to deliver. They have a healthy team and they have to win. Recently, I’ve seen that the Avs have made some mistakes in their own zone. The Avalanche might just look like creative playmakers but they have some big guys in that lineup. GM Joe Sakic got the players at the deadline who were tough and he’s made this team super hard to beat. The only thing that can beat them now is mistakes, collapsing under pressure, and injuries. The key to success for the Avalanche is to put shots on net and play with a lot of passion. Everybody in Colorado thinks this is the year so Coach Bednar has to deliver.
I believe that the Colorado Avalanche will win this series in 5 games. Missing Saros will be a big loss for the Preds and that is one reason they can lose. Colorado gets offense from all lines and they score so many goals per game. A player like Nathan MacKinnon will be super important in this series. He produces super speed in the middle of the ice and that could be a problem for the Preds. The Predators are a good team but I feel that the Avs will win this series.
The Avalanche’s cup run begins Tuesday, May the 3rd from the Mile High State. Can the Nashville Predators break Colorado’s hearts or will the Colorado Avalanche move on to their much dreaded 2nd Round? We’ll find out Tuesday Night from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
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