When: 6 p.m. Saturday
³:Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.
TV, Radio: ALT, 950 AM
Spotlight on Kyle Turris.
The new Predators forward was indirectly a member of the Avalanche Nov. 4 when Colorado, Ottawa and Nashville finalized a mega-trade that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa and Turris from Ottawa to Nashville, via Colorado. In return for Turris going to Nashville, the Predators sent defenseman Samuel Girard, 19, forward Vladislav Kamenev, 21, and a 2018 second-round draft pick to Colorado. The big deal hinged on Turris, because if he didn’t agree to a six-year, $36 million contract extension with the Preds, there was no deal. Turris scored a goal in his Nashville debut Nov. 11 against Pittsburgh and will play his fourth career game with the Preds against the Avalanche.
NOTEBOOK:
Avalanche: It recalled first-year professional Dominic Toninato on Friday and the former Minnesota-Duluth captain will center a line with Sven Andrighetto and Nail Yakupov — thus replacing Kamenev, who sustained a broken arm in his Avs debut Thursday. … Defenseman Tyson Barrie, who missed his first game of the season Thursday with an upper-body injury, practiced Friday and could return to the lineup against the Preds. … The Avs will have a morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. … Rookie defenseman Girard will play in his ninth career NHL game Saturday against the Preds, his former team, before a decision will be made about where he plays the rest of the season. Girard, 19, can only return to his junior team in Quebec if he plays fewer than 10 NHL games. Once he reaches 10 games, he will remain in the NHL the rest of the season.
Predators: They lost 6-4 to the on Thursday, allowing four goals in the final 6:56 to blow a 4-2 lead at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Preds took a five-game winning streak into the game. “We stopped playing after 20 minutes,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette told reporters. “We took penalties. We stopped skating. You stop skating, you start hooking, you go to the box. Again, 20 minutes of hockey. We left 40 somewhere else.” … Nashville is beginning a three-game homestand that continues against Winnipeg on Monday and Montreal on Wednesday. The Preds have switched backup goaltenders, sending Juuse Saros to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League and recalling Anders Lindback. … Defenseman Mattias Ekholm has back-to-back multiple-point games for the first time in his career.
