The Nashville Predators, mired in a frustrating Central Division scrap after a heartbreaking OT loss in St. Louis, travel to the Mile High City for a Saturday night clash with the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche, who boast the NHL’s best record and an absurd 20-game point streak (18-0-2). This matchup contrasts Nashville’s blue-collar, defensive identity—anchored by Roman Josi—against Colorado’s explosive transition game (league-high 3.52 GF/G), led by Nathan MacKinnon’s MVP-caliber dominance. With the Preds’ penalty kill (79.1%, 21st) facing the Avs’ lethal power play (29.4%, 3rd), injuries to Nashville’s top netminder could expose vulnerabilities in a high-altitude tilt where altitude acclimation and special teams swing fortunes. Colorado eyes a franchise-record 21st straight point; Nashville desperately needs a signature road upset.
Game Information
Puckdrop: 9:00 p.m. ET (puck drop)
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado (capacity: 18,000; home of the Avalanche since 1999, elevation 5,280 ft—known for sapping visiting legs)
Broadcast: Altitude TV (Avalanche local), Bally Sports South (Predators local), TNT, ESPN+
Series Context: Third meeting of the 2025-26 season (Colorado leads 2-0: 5-3 W on Oct. 25, 4-2 W on Nov. 20); Avs have won 8 of last 10 H2H.
Injury Report
Nashville’s crease crisis deepens without Saros, forcing Juuse Saros’ backup into a spotlight. Colorado’s depth absorbs hits, but Landeskog’s ongoing absence lingers.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Injury/Details | Estimated Return |
| Predators | Juuse Saros | G | Out | Lower Body | Dec. 18 (IR since Dec. 9; 8-10-3, .905 SV%; flu-like symptoms) |
| Predators | Cody Glass | C | Out | Jaw | Dec. 22 (IR since Nov. 28; fractured vs. STL, 4G, 8A in 20GP) |
| Predators | Jeremy Lauzon | D | Questionable | Upper Body | Game-time (DTD after block vs. STL Dec. 11) |
| Avalanche | Gabriel Landeskog | LW | Out | Knee (post-surgery) | Indefinite (IR since July; captain’s return eyed for playoffs) |
| Avalanche | Artturi Lehkonen | LW | Out | Lower Body | Dec. 20 (IR since Dec. 5; 5G, 10A in 25GP) |
| Avalanche | Samuel Girard | D | Questionable | Concussion Protocol | Game-time (evaluating after hit vs. FLA Dec. 11) |
Preds turn to Scott Wedgewood (4-3-1, 3.15 GAA) in net; Avs slot Calum Ritchie up top sans Lehkonen, maintaining offensive flow.
Key Player Matchups
Projected lines from morning skates (Predators via Brunette; Avalanche via Bednar). Josi’s puck movement vs. MacKinnon’s speed defines a blue-line battle.
Predators Top Line (Forsberg – O’Reilly – Novacek) vs. Avalanche Top Line (MacKinnon – Nichushkin – Rantanen): Filip Forsberg (15G, 32P) drives Nashville’s rush with Ryan O’Reilly’s two-way anchor (10G, 25P). Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon (24G, 58P; Hart frontrunner) pairs with Mikko Rantanen’s finish (18G). Edge: Avs’ dynamism, but O’Reilly’s faceoffs (54.2%) win key draws.
Predators Second Line (Eichold – Sissons – Jeannot) vs. Avalanche Second Line (Makar – Drouin – Ritchie): Tanner Jeannot’s physicality complements Colton Sissons’ checking. Cale Makar (12G, 40P from blue) feeds Jonathan Drouin’s creativity. Edge: Avalanche’s transition exploits Preds’ neutral zone gaps.
Goalie Duel: Scott Wedgewood (Predators) vs. Alexandar Georgiev (Avalanche): Wedgewood (spot starter; 2.90 GAA in relief) faces Colorado’s shot barrage (33.1/game); untested vs. Avs. Georgiev (14-2-4, 2.38 GAA, .920 SV%; 5 shutouts) owns Nashville (3-0-0, 1.67 GAA). Edge: Georgiev’s hot streak (7-0-1 last 8).
Special teams: Avs PP (29.4%) vs. Preds PK (79.1%); Nashville PP (17.2%, 23rd) struggles against COL’s 84.5% kill (5th).
Team Records and Standings
Nashville Predators: 12-14-4 (28 points, 7th in Central Division; 5-8-2 on road). Advanced stats: 24th in GF/G (2.68), 22nd in GA/G (3.25), -0.57 diff (27th).
Colorado Avalanche: 22-2-7 (51 points, 1st in Central Division; 11-1-3 at home). Advanced stats: 1st in GF/G (3.52), 11th in GA/G (2.82), +0.70 diff (3rd).
Colorado’s home invincibility (10-0-2 streak) dwarfs Nashville’s road woes (2-5-1 last 8 away).
Recent Team Forms
Nashville’s form craters after a 3-2 OT road loss to St. Louis on Dec. 11 (O’Reilly ties late; Wedgewood relief, outshot 32-26). Prior: 2-4 L vs. DAL (Dec. 9), 4-3 W vs. ARI (Dec. 7), 1-5 L vs. MIN (Dec. 5). Last 10: 3-6-1 (2.5 GF/G, 3.4 GA/G), with 1-4-1 road—PK collapses (65% last 5).
Colorado’s streak endures despite a 4-3 home loss to Florida on Dec. 11 (MacKinnon 2G; Georgiev .882 SV%, but rallied from 3-0 down). Before: 5-2 W vs. WSH (Dec. 9), 6-1 W vs. VAN (Dec. 7), 4-2 W vs. SEA (Dec. 5). Last 10: 8-1-1 (3.7 GF/G, 2.5 GA/G), extending points to 20—unbeaten in regulation since Oct. 28.
| Last 5 Games | Predators Record | Key Stat | Avalanche Record | Key Stat |
| @ STL (Dec 11) | L 2-3 (OT) | 26 SOG, 0/2 PP | vs. FLA (Dec 11) | L 3-4 |
| @ DAL (Dec 9) | L 2-4 | 24 SOG, 1/3 PP | vs. WSH (Dec 9) | W 5-2 |
| vs. ARI (Dec 7) | W 4-3 | 31 SOG, Forsberg GWG | vs. VAN (Dec 7) | W 6-1 |
| vs. MIN (Dec 5) | L 1-5 | 22 SOG, shut out | vs. SEA (Dec 5) | W 4-2 |
| @ CBJ (Dec 3) | W 3-2 | 27 SOG, 1/3 PP | @ NJD (Dec 1) | W 5-3 |
Series History
Since 1998, Colorado leads 48-35-7-2 in regular-season play (92 games, avg. 6.0 goals). Avs dominate lately: 8-2-0 in last 10, including two 2025 wins. At Ball Arena: Colorado 28-14-3-1 all-time vs. NSH. Overs hit 7-3 in last 10 (high-altitude fireworks: 6.5 goals avg.), but Avs 6-1 SU in last 7 home H2H.
Betting Trends
Puck Line: Avalanche -1.5 (+105); Predators +1.5 (-125). Avs 9-1 ATS last 10 home.
Total: 6.5 (Over -110 / Under -110). Overs 7-3 in H2H; 6-4 in COL home.
Trends: Preds 2-8 SU as road dogs; Avs 18-0-2 point streak. Public: 62% on Over 6.5.
Game Odds
Nashville Predators 6.5
Colorado Avalanche – 355
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, December 12, 2025
