Predators rout Avalanche 6-2 as Ryan O’Reilly posts two goals and two assists

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

The Nashville Predators scored six times and avoided another close call against the Colorado Avalanche, winning 6-2 at Bridgestone Arena. Ryan O’Reilly powered the offence with two goals and two assists as Nashville improved to a 4-3-4 record. Justus Annunen made 19 saves for the Predators, who earned points in four of their past five games (2-1-2).

O’Reilly’s impact was especially evident on the power play. The Predators finished 4-for-7 with the man advantage, including two power-play goals from their star. Steven Stamkos added two goals and an assist, while Filip Forsberg contributed a goal and two assists and Roman Josi supplied three assists to complete the Nashville scoring picture.

Nashville broke through early when Forsberg scored his power-play goal at 4:01 of the first period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. The play began after Stamkos kept the puck in the offensive zone by blocking Logan O’Connor’s clearing attempt along the boards, allowing Josi to gather the loose puck and feed Forsberg for a snap shot from the high slot.

Stamkos extended the lead to 2-0 at 10:48 of the first period following a video review. The scoring play ended with a wrist shot that bounced off Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood and fully crossed the goal line. Although Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar swatted at the puck as it came loose, it was not enough to prevent it from crossing into the net.

In the second period, O’Reilly made it a three-goal game at 6:38. He used his skate to corral a pass from Josi, then turned and lifted a backhanded shot over Wedgewood for his first goal of the contest. The Predators carried that momentum into their next stretch of scoring as the game opened up further.

Nashville increased its cushion to 4-0 at 16:36 when ex-Avalanche forwards Ross Colton and Jack Drury combined against their former team. Colton found Drury alone on Wedgewood’s blocker side, and Drury tucked a backhand around the goaltender’s outstretched glove.

O’Reilly then struck again during the second period with his second power-play tally at 17:29. After the Predators had built a large lead, the goal pushed the score to 5-0 and emphasized how consistently Nashville was able to generate chances with the advantage.

Colorado finally added to the scoreboard in the latter half of the second period as Artturi Lehkonen extended his point streak to seven games. Lehkonen tapped in a centering feed from Martin Necas at 17:55 to trim Nashville’s lead to 5-1. The scoring run during the streak for Lehkonen includes 10 points, made up of seven goals and three assists.

The third period brought another Nashville power-play opportunity that resulted in a two-goal set of plays. Artturi Lehkonen’s earlier goal left the Avalanche searching for traction, and Devon Toews provided the next Colorado response at 2:43, scoring on a wrist shot during 4-on-4 play to make it 5-2.

Nashville answered with its own special-teams strike later in the third. Stamkos scored on a 5-on-3 power play at 10:24 when the Predators caught Wedgewood out of the net. The scoring sequence started with O’Reilly picking up a rebound shot behind the net and sending a backhanded pass to Stamkos, who fired a wrist shot from the right side for the 6-2 final.

On the day, the Predators’ balance showed in both even-strength production and specialty-unit efficiency. Nashville’s core contributors—Forsberg, Josi, Stamkos and O’Reilly—each logged multiple points, while Annunen’s 19-save effort helped keep Colorado from getting any sustained momentum even after it scored twice.

For the Avalanche, Artturi Lehkonen finished with production tied to his streak and Necas added two assists, but Colorado’s offence fell short of matching Nashville’s scoring output. Wedgewood stopped 29 shots in the loss as the Avalanche were held to 2 goals and dropped a game they entered with points in the season context (6-5-1) indicated by the recap’s record line.

With the win, Nashville’s standings momentum remains positive, reflected in its point streak of sorts over the past several outings. The Predators’ 6-2 win over Colorado also underscored a season theme of timely scoring—starting with a power-play goal from Forsberg and culminating in a third-period 5-on-3 strike by Stamkos—while O’Reilly’s two-goal, two-assist performance anchored the result.

At Bridgestone Arena on Sunday, the final score—Nashville 6, Colorado 2—completed a controlled effort by the Predators, combining decisive special-teams execution (4-for-7) with lead protection in all three periods as O’Reilly recorded four points to lead the way for his team.