The Colorado Avalanche face the Nashville Predators for the second time in three games tonight at Ball Arena, closing out a brief two-game homestand. 

Colorado is coming off a 4–3 shootout loss to Nashville on December 10. 

Colorado Avalanche 

Tonight’s matchup serves as the rubber match of the season series between the two clubs. 

The Avalanche took the first meeting on November 22 at Bridgestone Arena with a 3–0 shutout win on the second night of a back-to-back. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all 35 shots he faced, while Brent Burns opened the scoring just 15 seconds into the game — a goal that stood as the game-winner. Nathan MacKinnon and Jack Drury added late empty-net goals to seal the victory. 

MAKAR TIES IT IN MUSIC CITY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gnjU9lBGFS

— NHL (@NHL) December 10, 2025

The second meeting came this past Tuesday, again in Nashville. A late equalizer from Cale Makar in the final seconds of regulation forced overtime, but the Predators ultimately prevailed in a shootout to earn a 4–3 win. Scott Wedgewood stopped 28 of 31 shots, settling in after an uneven start. During the shootout, Wedgewood collided with former teammate Filip Forsberg and was removed from the game by a concussion spotter. Despite the unusual sequence — which allowed him to face another shooter before being pulled — the Avalanche secured a point to remain atop the Central Division. 

Colorado enters tonight’s contest fresh off a convincing 6–2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday. On a night honoring the franchise’s 1996 Stanley Cup-winning roster, the Avalanche delivered a performance worthy of the occasion. Gavin Brindley returned after missing 10 games with a torn muscle and scored the eventual game-winning goal early in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon added his 25th goal of the season — the 392nd of his career — surpassing Joe Sakic for the most goals in franchise history. 

Projected Lineup 

Forwards 

Artturi Lehkonen – Nathan MacKinnon – Martin Nečas 

Gabriel Landeskog – Brock Nelson – Valeri Nichushkin 

Victor Olofsson – Ross Colton – Gavin Brindley 

Parker Kelly – Jack Drury – Joel Kiviranta 

Defense 

Cale Makar – Devon Toews 

Josh Manson – Brent Burns 

Samuel Girard – Sam Malinski 

Goaltenders 

Mackenzie Blackwood 

Scott Wedgewood 

Nashville Predators 

Despite sitting last in the Central Division, Nashville has played well of late, winning six of its last eight games — including Tuesday’s shootout victory over Colorado. 

Tonight marks the opening game of a two-game road trip for the Predators, who arrive in Denver after a 7–2 win over St. Louis on Thursday. Steven Stamkos recorded the 15th hat trick of his NHL career and factored into four of the team’s seven goals. Luke Evangelista added three assists, while Juuse Saros made 24 saves. Saros is expected to start again tonight. 

Nashville’s lineup will look slightly different from Tuesday’s meeting. Defenseman Spencer Stastney was traded to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. The 25-year-old appeared in parts of four seasons with the Predators, totaling three goals and 15 assists in 81 games. 

The Predators will wrap up their road trip Monday night with a rematch against St. Louis at Enterprise Center — their second meeting in three games. 

Projected Lineup 

Forwards 

Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Luke Evangelista 

Filip Forsberg – Erik Haula – Jonathan Marchessault 

Reid Schaefer – Fedor Svechkov – Matthew Wood 

Michael Bunting – Tyson Jost – Michael McCarron 

Defense 

Nicolas Hague – Roman Josi 

Brady Skjei – Adam Wilsby 

Nick Perbix – Nick Blankenburg 

Goaltenders 

Justus Annunen

Juuse Saros

Start Time & Broadcast 

Time: 7:00 p.m. MST / 9:00 p.m. EST 

Watch: ALT, ALT+, KTVD (Avalanche broadcast area), FDSNSO, ESPN+, NHL Center Ice (U.S. out of market), SN+, NHL Centre Ice (Canada) 

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