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The Colorado Avalanche aimed to carry momentum from their recent win over the Tampa Bay Lightning into Sunday night's matchup with the Nashville Predators. However, they spent most of the game playing catch-up, ultimately falling 6-2 at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville set the tone early, scoring twice in the first period and adding three more in the second. Special teams were the story: the Predators converted four power-play opportunities, while the Avalanche failed to score with the man advantage.
Filip Forsberg opened the scoring at 4:01 of the first period, just after Colorado's Parker Kelly was penalized for hooking. Roman Josi found Forsberg in the high slot, and the forward beat goaltender Scott Wedgewood with a snap shot to make it 1-0. Steven Stamkos doubled the lead at 10:48, taking a pass from former Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly and firing a one-timer from below the left circle. Wedgewood got a piece of the shot, but the puck trickled over the goal line, and a video review confirmed the goal.
The second period brought more trouble for Colorado. After a scrum involving Martin Necas and Jayden Struble, the Avalanche received a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Nashville capitalized at 6:38 when O'Reilly scored from the doorstep, slipping a backhand past Wedgewood to extend the lead to 3-0. The Predators struck again at 16:36, as former Avalanche forward Jack Drury finished a play set up by Ross Colton. Less than a minute later, O'Reilly netted his second power-play goal of the period at 17:29, with Brock Nelson serving an interference penalty, putting Nashville ahead 5-0.
Colorado finally responded 26 seconds later. Nathan MacKinnon started an odd-man rush and fed Martin Necas, who sent a cross-ice pass to Artturi Lehkonen for a close-range finish—Lehkonen's team-leading 10th goal of the season. In the third period, Devon Toews carried the puck into Nashville's zone during four-on-four play and scored from the left circle at 2:43, bringing the Avalanche within three goals.
Any hopes of a comeback were dashed midway through the third. With Brent Burns and Logan O'Connor in the penalty box, the Predators gained a five-on-three advantage. Stamkos scored his second of the night at 10:24, finishing from a sharp angle near the left goal line to make it 6-2.
The loss dropped Colorado's record to 6-5-1 and served as a stark reminder that offensive talent alone cannot compensate for costly penalties and defensive lapses. The Avalanche will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they return home to face newly acquired Connor Hellebuyck and the New Jersey Devils.