NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Colorado Avalanche fell 4–3 in a shootout to the Nashville Predators Tuesday night, in a game filled with momentum swings, clutch plays, and one last gasp equalizer.
First Period Offense, Second Period Freeze
From the opening puck drop, the game came alive — and fast. Just 1:12 into the contest, Brock Nelson deked past Nashville’s defense and beat goaltender Juuse Saros to open the scoring. Colorado struck first.
But the Predators answered almost immediately. Within minutes, Jonathan Marchessault tied it up by converting a rebound off a Saros save — then Reid Schaefer put Nashville ahead with a quick finish past Colorado’s netminder.
Colorado responded before the end of the period: forwards Artturi Lehkonen — with help from key puck retention by Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Nečas — battled to a rebound and buried it, knotting the contest at 2–2 heading into the second.
The second period cooled off dramatically: despite several power-play chances for Colorado, neither team could find the back of the net. The stalemate set the stage for a tense final frame.
Third Period Climax — Makar to the Rescue
Nashville went ahead again early in the third when defenseman Brady Skjei rifled a shot through traffic to beat Colorado’s goalie Scott Wedgewood, reestablishing the lead for the Predators.
However, in dramatic fashion — with just eight seconds remaining on the clock — Cale Makar snapped a power-play shot through traffic to tie the game 3–3 and force overtime. It was a clutch moment, emblematic of Makar’s resilience and the Avalanche’s refusal to fold.
Overtime could not produce a winner — and so the game headed to a shootout.
Shootout & Goaltending Drama
In the shootout, Juuse Saros stood tall for Nashville, while Colorado’s Wedgewood — back just recently from injury — faced a harsh twist: after a collision with a Nashville shooter, he was pulled under concussion-protocol before the final shot.
That final shot: Ryan O’Reilly calmly converted the only tally of the shootout, sealing a 4–3 victory for the Predators.
What This Means for Both Teams
- The Predators improve to 11-14-4 on the season — a welcome boost given their recent struggles. For Nashville, the balanced scoring from Marchessault, Schaefer, and Skjei, combined with Saros’s 39-save performance, showed resilience and depth.
- For the Avalanche — already one of the league’s top teams — this loss underscores a few lingering concerns: inconsistent power-play conversion, defensive lapses, and now uncertainty in net if Wedgewood’s health remains in doubt.
- Still: Makar’s clutch equalizer and the team’s fight to earn a point — and nearly two — highlights they remain dangerous, especially in tight games.
Look Ahead
Nashville will ride high on this momentum — and at home, with a confident goaltender and balanced scoring, they could be a dark horse to make a run.
Meanwhile Colorado returns home to regroup — sharpen power play execution, tighten defensive coverage, and monitor Wedgewood’s condition. If they do, they remain one of the elite threats in the league.
In a season where every point counts, games like this — razor-thin endings, fight-to-the-last-second equalizers, and shootout heartbreaks — could make all the difference.
