Jonathan Marchessault’s goal with 10:49 left gave the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Marchessault’s third goal in his four games and Justin Barron’s goal were held up by Juuse Saros, who made 31 saves to break a personal five-game losing streak. Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Luke Schenn and Roman Josi earned assists as the Predators won their second straight.
Sam Malinski got his second goal of the season for Colorado and Jonathan Drouin registered an assist. So did Juuso Parssinen, who played against his old team for the first time since the Predators dealt him to the Avalanche on Dec. 28. Scott Wedgewood recorded 15 saves as Colorado’s two-game winning streak ended.
Nashville did not have a shot in the third period until Marchessault flipped the puck into a wide-open net thanks to Schenn, whose shot to Wedgewood’s left drew the netminder away from the crease. The puck bounced right to the veteran center stationed at the right post.
Saros, who played in two of Finland’s 4 Nations games during the two-week break, made seven saves after getting the lead. That included a tip try from Artturi Lehkonen right in front of the crease with eight minutes to go.
Colorado pulled Wedgewood with less than three minutes remaining, but Lehkonen drew a double-minor high-sticking penalty when he clipped Barron around the Predators goal with 2:24 to go.
After an uneventful first period that featured no goals or penalties, both teams found the back of the net within the first two minutes of the second. Malinski gave Colorado the lead just 75 seconds into the period. The defenseman received Drouin’s drop pass just outside the faceoff circle and whistled a slapshot past Saros.
Barron needed only 30 seconds to answer against the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2020 Draft. Sissons got the puck out of a scrum near the Avalanche net and fed Barron near the point. Alone, the Predators blueliner skated toward the high slot and beat Wedgewood through traffic for his fourth of the season. It also was his third since Nashville acquired him in a Dec. 18 trade from Montreal.
–Field Level Media
