Game 4 Recap: Avalanche Complete Sweep over Predators
Colorado completed the sweep over Nashville with a 5-3 win in Game 4 on Monday night
By
Sasha Kandrach
With a resilient 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators in Game 4 of the First Round Series of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena, the Avalanche are officially advancing after completing the four-game sweep.
Andre Burakovsky (1G, 2A), Cale Makar (1G, 2A) and Devon Toews, Valeri Nichushkin scored at even-strength, while Nathan MacKinnon scored on the power play. Pavel Francouz made 28 saves on 31 shots and was backed in net by Justus Annunen.
For Nashville, Yakov Trenin scored twice, while Filip Forsberg also found the back of the net. Conor Ingram made 33 saves on 37 shots for the Predators.
REGULATION SUMMARY:
After going down 3-2 in the third period - and trailing for the first time in the series - the Avalanche ushered an immediate and swift response to complete the sweep of their First Round series.
Colorado battled back and tied the score up 3-3 at 8:55 in the final frame. With the puck in the corner, Erik Johnson turned and played Toews at the top of the right faceoff circle. Toews skated in and wired his shot over Ingram's blocker. Burakovsky also tallied an assist.
With a one-goal lead in hand, the Avalanche cushioned their lead 4-3 at 12:02 on a quick play. Cale Makar absorbed a hit along the boards but still managed to thread his pass out across the slot to Nichushkin on the backdoor where he buried it past Ingram.
MacKinnon extended Colorado's lead 5-3 late in the game with 56 seconds on the clock as he converted on the power play.
In the first period, the Avalanche and Predators had skated out to a 1-1 score, despite the Avalanche controlling the play and outshooting the Preds 13-6.
Colorado got the board first for the fourth-straight game in this series just 1:56 after puck drop. Burakovsky cut into the right faceoff circle and fired a wicked wrist shot over the right shoulder of Ingram. The sizzling puck went through the net and bounced off the endboards, so despite Burakovsky's initial celebration the play continued. Once play ceased, the officials reviewed the play on headset and determined the goal was good.
Both teams exchanged chances on the power play, but Nashville didn't convert to tie the score 1-1 until there was just 1:01 left in the opening frame. The Preds got on the board as Colton Sissons zipped a pass to Trenin in the slot, where he beat Francouz far side with his one timer.
Following another 20 minutes of action, the tied score remained as both teams got on the board in the second period to enter the final frame with a 2-2 stalemate. The Avs regained the lead at 13:33 on Makar's tally.
On an extended offensive zone shift, Makar threaded a pass to the boards where J.T. Compher collected it after just taking the ice on a line change. Compher returned the puck to Makar at the blueline where he unleashed a high shot from distance that sailed over Ingram's blocker to give the Avs a 2-1 lead.
With their season on the line, the Preds didn't go away quietly and tied the score up 2-2 16:49. Francouz made the initial stop on a shot off the rush from Sissons all alone in the low slot. The puck kicked out and Trenin, who turned and fired it over Francouz's blocker.
Nashville took its first lead of the game - and of the series - 3:58 into the third period. Forsberg made a zone entry and dished the puck out to his left to Matt Duchene. The former Avalanche forward fed the puck to a streaking Matias Ekholm who was crashing down the wall and Ekholm threaded the puck to the backdoor for Forsberg to tap it in and give the Predators a 3-2 lead.
And while they revved off some momentum from their first lead, it wasn't enough to overpower Colorado's high-octane defense and determination.
IN NET:
Pavel Francouz made his first start of this year's postseason and made 28 saves on 31 shots. The netminder was solid and weathered the pushes of desperation from Nashville's attack as it attempted to preserve its season.
NOTEWORTHY:
NEXT GAME:
The Avalanche will wait for the remaining First Round Series across the NHL to conclude in order to find out who their opponent will be in the Second Round. But having clinched the top seed in the Western Conference, the Avalanche will still have home-ice advantage.
