National Hockey League
Nashville 4, Colorado 2
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 16, 2018
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees: Graham Skilliter, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 17273
Colton Sissons and Filip Forsberg each had a pair of goals and the Nashville Predators become the first team to clinch a Stanley Cup Playoff berth with a 4-2 victory against the host Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Friday night.

Nashville has gone 13-0-1 in the last 14 games, and extended its point streak to 14 games, tied for the longest in franchise history. Predators goalie Juuse Saros finished with 33 saves.

Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon had a goal, extending his points streak to 11 games. Gabriel Landeskog also scored for Coloado, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Predators have won 10 straight games against the Avalanche. Nashville also has not lost in regulation since dropping a 3-1 decision to the Red Wings on Feb. 17.

The Avalanche outshot Nashville 35-28.

The game featured two of the league's hottest teams. On this night, Nashville made just enough plays to keep its momentum heading into the final part of the season.

Colorado took a 2-1 lead when Landeskog scored in a scrum in front of the goal with 16:32 left in the second period. Forsberg answered for Nashville two minutes later off a rebound. The Predators then dominated the run of play and took the lead on Sissons' second goal with 6:21 left.

After a defensive-oriented third period, Forsberg put the game away with an empty-net goal with just over a minute left in the game.

The Avalanche could get a boost for their final playoff push with the return of defenseman Erik Johnson, who has missed 13 games with a shoulder injury but is edging closer to rejoining the lineup.

The Predators lost forward Calle Jarnkrok for the rest of the regular season after he sustained an upper-body injury in a win over Winnipeg on Tuesday. Jarnkrok, who has 16 goals and 19 assists this season, could be back at some point during the postseason.

Sissons gave Nashville a 1-0 lead with 2:34 left in the opening period. MacKinnon answered for Colorado with 59 seconds remaining.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Nashville   Colorado
Filip Forsberg 2 Points Gabriel Landeskog 1
Filip Forsberg 2 Goals Gabriel Landeskog 1
Craig Smith 2 Assists Tyson Barrie 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Juuse Saros .943 Save Percentage Semyon Varlamov .889
Juuse Saros 33 Saves Semyon Varlamov 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Nashville 28 4 0-4 4-4 8 31
Colorado 35 2 0-4 4-4 8 20
Upcoming Games
  • Colorado will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .531 after a loss.
  • Nashville will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Predators have a W/L % of .674 after a win and .640 after a loss.