Preview: Avalanche look to ramp it up as NHL returns from Four Nations break
Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images
The Avs return to action to visit the division rival Nashville Predators.
After the remarkable success of the Four Nations Faceoff, which captivated the sports world in North America for the last 10 days, the National Hockey League is back in action Saturday, with 14 games occurring across the league.
The Colorado Avalanche return to play with some positive momentum, as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews return from the Four Nations Faceoff as champions with Team Canada. Additionally, MacKinnon was recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, as his bid for consecutive NHL Hart Trophies continues to gain steam.
To put a cherry on top of it all, all four of the Avs representatives left the tournament healthy, with the three Canadians (and Artturi Lehkonen) all expected to suit up tonight.
Despite the positives, the Avalanche have a tough task at hand, as they return to action to the tune of a back-to-back set that squares them off against two divisional rivals on the road, starting off with the Nashville Predators this afternoon, and the St. Louis Blues tomorrow afternoon. Colorado won four out of five games going into the break, and a win tonight would go a long way in immediately re-establishing that momentum for the home stretch of the season as they jostle for playoff seeding.
This is the final time the Avs will face the Predators this season, and these are the games you need to come out of with two points.
Colorado Avalanche
Fresh off of a Four Nations MVP performance from MacKinnon, he and the top defense pair of Makar and Toews return to the Avs with gold medals around their necks, and a lot of alcohol consumed between the tournament win and tonight’s contest. It appears that a large majority (if not all) of the players on the ice for Thursday’s championship game are going to play right away in the return to NHL action, Avs included.
For the rest of the guys, it’s going to be crucial to get back up to speed quickly. The four who have been playing during the layoff are going to have to lead the way on the ice to establish the momentum the Avs need to resume on their push for better playoff seeding. Sitting in the west’s first wild card spot at the pause, they’re still in striking range of second place in the central division, which would guarantee home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Of the guys who got a vacation, it’s going to be interesting to see how Martin Necas performs. He was red hot following the trade from Carolina and had established a nice rapport with MacKinnon on the top line. His success alongside MacKinnon will be paramount as the Avs await for players to return to health, as well as while we approach the March 6th trade deadline.
Josh Manson and Valeri Nichushkin will not play on this two-game road trip. Nichushkin was skating with the team in Denver earlier this week, and Bednar is hopeful he’ll return to the lineup when the Avs return home on Thursday.
Nichushkin and Manson will NOT go on the road trip. They’re hoping for New Jersey with Val. All three 4 Nations players are expected to play this weekend. “No choice. I don’t love the setup of Thursday, Saturday, Sunday afternoon but I guess that’s the price you pay.”— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) February 21, 2025
MacKenzie Blackwood will likely get the start in net. He had some solid performances prior to the break, including consecutive shutouts against the Blues and Flyers. There’s no player who the Avs need to maintain their strong play more than Blackwood, as his success helped turn the outlook of the season around. On the season, Blackwood has a 2.53 goals against average and a 2.53 save percentage.
Projected Lineup
Artturi Lehkonen (62) — Nathan MacKinnon (29) — Martin Necas (88)Jonathan Drouin (27) — Casey Mittelstadt (37) — Juuso Parssinen (16)Miles Wood (28) — Jack Drury (18) — Ross Colton (20)Joel Kiviranta (94) — Parker Kelly (17) — Logan O’Connor (25)
Devon Toews (7) — Cale Makar (8)Samuel Girard (49) — Sam Malinski (70)Calvin De Haan (44) — Oliver Kylington (58)
MacKenzie Blackwood (39)Scott Wedgewood (41)
Nashville Predators
It has been a woeful season for the Predators. Coming into the year with high expectations after newly named general manager Barry Trotz spent big on the 2024 free agent class. Big contracts to Brady Skjei, Jonathan Marchessault, and most notably Steven Stamkos, set the precedent that the Preds were ready to compete with the brass of the Western Conference once again.
Nashville has struggled to maintain any kind of stabilized success from the jump, opening the season as the last team in the NHL to secure their first win, and never finding their footing to climb out of that hole. With a 19-28-7 record on the season, they will need a miracle in this final stretch to even contend for a wild card spot.
The Predators are also dealing with some injury woes, as they recently announced that defensemen Jeremy Lauzon and Adam Wilsby will miss the remainder of the season with injuries. Additionally, they put young bruising forward Zachary L’Heureux on IR. He’s week to week.
#Preds Injury Update: Forward Mark Jankowski has been activated from IR. Forward Zach L’Heureux has been placed on IR and is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Adam Wilsby has been placed on IR and will miss the remainder of the season with an…— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 21, 2025
Juuse Saros figures to start in goal for Nashville, fresh off of backstopping Team Finland at the Four Nations. He has had a difficult season behind the struggling Preds, with a 2.95 goals against average, and a .899 save percentage on the season. His overall record is 11-23-6, with four shutouts, a nice positive for a down season.
Projected Lineup
Filip Forsberg (9) — Ryan O’Reilly (90) Jonathan Marchessault (81)Steven Stamkos (91) — Fedor Svechkov (40) — Gustav Nyquist (14)Mark Jankowski (17) — Tommy Novak (82) — Luke Evangelista (77)Cole Smith (36) — Michael McCarron (47) — Colton Sissons (10)
Roman Josi (59) — Justin Barron (20)Brady Skjei (76) — Nick Blankenburg (37)Andreas Englund (5) — Jake Livingstone (23)
Juuse Saros (74)Justus Annunen (29)...
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