After Alexandar Georgiev struggled, the Colorado Avalanche gave Justus Annunen a chance to be their goaltender, but inconsistent performance led to his trade to Nashville on November 30.
Two weeks later, Annunen could get the chance to face his former team when the Predators visit the Avalanche in Denver on Saturday night.
Annunen showed glimpses of the talent that led Colorado to select him 64th overall in the 2018 draft. He posted a 6-4-0 record for the Avalanche before the trade, but his .872 save percentage became a problem, and combined with Georgiev’s struggles, the team’s goaltending was among the worst in the NHL.
Annunen made 35 saves in Nashville’s 4-1 victory over Dallas on Thursday, his first win for the Predators. That win ended an eight-game losing streak for Nashville, which included three overtime losses.
Juuse Saros has been the main goalie for Nashville and has a 2.72 goals-against average despite the team’s poor record.
Nashville has some skilled players leading the team. Defenseman Roman Josi leads with 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists), followed by Filip Forsberg (nine goals, 10 assists) and former Avalanche center Ryan O’Reilly (seven goals, 10 assists).
Nashville’s defense and goaltending haven’t been the issue during its 1-5-3 stretch. Five of those eight losses were by one goal, and only twice did an opponent score more than three goals.
Thursday’s win was the first time in 10 games that Nashville scored at least four goals.
“We want to be harder to play against, and kind of consistent with that,” said O’Reilly. “It’s not going to get any easier against Colorado.”
The Avalanche had a weak performance in their 4-1 loss to Utah on Thursday, partly because it was their first home game since November 30, and the team was dealing with an illness. Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal and continues to lead the NHL with 47 points.
MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are the only teammates in the top five in scoring in the NHL. MacKinnon has 11 goals and a league-leading 36 assists, while Rantanen is tied for fourth in goals (18).
Ross Colton has nine goals and was leading the team in goals before suffering a fractured foot on October 28. He has scored a goal in four games since returning from the injured list.
Colorado’s offensive strength hasn’t been the problem, but they’ve struggled with keeping the puck out of their net. Coach Jared Bednar mentioned that the change in goaltenders—swapping Georgiev for Mackenzie Blackwood—has helped, especially on the penalty kill.
The Avalanche killed off 14 of 16 penalties during their 4-1 road trip before allowing one to Utah.
“Goaltending did not help that for a long portion of the season, and now that the goaltending is playing better, the penalty kill numbers are better,” said Bednar.
Blackwood, who was acquired in a four-player trade that sent Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks, could get the start in net on Saturday night, though he has also been sick.
Blackwood served as Scott Wedgewood’s backup on Thursday night, which suggests he might be feeling better.
