Preds Return Home with Chance to Eliminate Avalanche

They would have preferred two, but the Nashville Predators still took one on the road in Colorado.
Now, the Preds are back at home on the eve of their first elimination game of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a chance to advance to Round Two for the third consecutive season.
That opportunity comes thanks to a 3-2 win in Game 4, a contest that saw the Preds back up their words with actions and find a way to bounce back after suffering their first defeat of the series in Game 3. And while Wednesday's win wasn't perfect, it was a positive development as the club looks to finish off the Avalanche in just five tries.

"We haven't played our best hockey in the playoffs, but leading up to it, I think yesterday was a great step in the right direction with the intensity and the passion in the game," Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "We can still clean up a few things, but overall it was a great game played by us."
A ride on an airplane was the only item on the agenda Thursday, a much-needed break from the ice and the video room, as is often the case at this time of the year. After what has turned into a physical series, with all the characteristics typical of a postseason meeting, the break between Games 4 and 5 was a welcomed reprieve, a chance to recharge for the next challenge.

"Today it's about getting rest and getting some sleep… just kind of decompress and relax," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "Tomorrow, you have to come with the best game of the season. For our hockey club right now coming home, it's just about just rest and recovery, resting your mind and turning it around tomorrow."
The Predators will have to play Game 5 without the services of winger Ryan Hartman, who was suspended by the NHL on Thursday afternoon due to an illegal hit to the head of Colorado's Carl Soderberg in Game 4. But just as they've done all season long, Nashville will rely on their depth with a number of potential candidates to take Hartman's place in the lineup.
Now the immediate goal is to finish off the Avalanche as efficiently as possible. The Predators were a perfect 3-for-3 at home during the 2017 playoffs when they had a chance to eliminate an opponent at home, and they'd prefer to start that same streak again tomorrow evening.
Nashville knows anything but their best won't cut it against an Avalanche team that will be full of desperation, as if they weren't already. It's because of that, the Preds will lean on their experiences from last year in these situations with the potential of a handshake line at night's end.
"In the playoffs, it's not over till it's over," Subban said. "Last year, we showed a lot of composure in those moments and executed well. I would expect us to execute at our best tomorrow."