The Colorado Avalanche extended their winning streak to eight games with a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. Mackenzie Blackwood earned his first shutout of the season, stopping all 35 shots faced. Brent Burns, Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Drury scored the goals for Colorado.
The Avalanche concluded a strong performance against the Predators, marking their eighth consecutive victory and first shutout of the season. The game began with Burns scoring just 15 seconds in, his second goal of the year, from above the right circle. The score remained 1-0 until the third period, when MacKinnon added an empty-net goal at 18:25 for his 17th of the season, followed by Drury's empty-net tally at 19:09, his fourth goal.
Assists went to Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog and Parker Kelly. Blackwood's 35 saves were pivotal, as praised by head coach Jared Bednar: "He looks better and better every time he gets in the net. Tonight, he was outstanding."
This win improves the Avalanche to 15-1-5, with MacKinnon leading the NHL in goals (17) and points (37), tied for second in assists (20). Cale Makar tops NHL defensemen in goals (8), assists (20) and points (28), while Martin Necas ties for fifth in league goals (13) and eighth in points (28). Colorado's team save percentage of .913 leads the NHL.
The victory sets up the Avalanche for a back-to-back matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday at United Center, the first of three regular-season meetings this year.