Mikko Rantanen had two goals and an assist, Logan O’Connor also scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Thursday in Denver.

Evan Rodrigues added a goal, J.T. Compher and Nathan MacKinnon had two assists each and Alexandar Georgiev made 32 saves for Colorado, which has a three-game winning streak.

Eeli Tolvanen, Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen had goals and Kevin Lankinen turned away 30 shots for the Predators, who have lost two in a row.

Nashville had a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal to start the game and converted on one of them when Tolvanen beat Georgiev on a sharp-angle shot at 3:45 of the first period. It was his second of the season.

The Avalanche tied it on the power play on Rantanen’s one-timer off a feed from MacKinnon at 7:37 of the first period, and then took control in the second period with three goals in a 4:14 span.

O’Connor got his first of the game when he tipped a shot from the point by Devon Toews past Lankinen at 6:34. Just 1:25 later, Compher blocked a shot in the Colorado end, O’Connor picked it up, skated in alone on Lankinen and scored his second of the game and fifth of the season.

Rantanen went off for a crosscheck midway through the second and came out of the box as MacKinnon got the puck in the Avalanche zone. He hit Rantanen with a stretch pass, and Rantanen beat Lankinen on a breakaway at 10:48 for his ninth of the season.

Rodrigues made it 5-1 when his shot deflected off a Predators player and in at 15:12 of the second period. It was his fifth goal of the season.

Nashville got one back on the power play in the final minute of the second when Johansen redirected Mikael Granlund’s shot at 19:32, Johansen’s fifth goal of the season.

The Predators pulled within two early in the third period when Josi’s one-timer from the right boards beat Georgiev at 2:59. It was his third of the season.

Lankinen went off for an extra skater twice in the final three minutes, but Nashville couldn’t score.

–Field Level Media