Game 21 Preview: Predators @ Avalanche

On Saturday, the Avalanche's season long struggle for offense transferred its way to their first shootout of the season. After killing a late overtime power play to make it to the shootout, the Avs couldn't net a goal against back-up goalie Jacob Markstrom and loss the extra point for the first time in an overtime affair this year. At the quarter point of the season, the Avalanche are still a bit of an enigma. While they occasionally shows sparks of a quality team coming together in a good system, they accompany those sparks with bad penalties and lack luster play in equal spurts. Every night it's hard to know which Avalanche team will come out: beauty or the beast?

Tuesday night, the Avs will play host to a much improved Nashville Predator team. When the Predators arrived in Denver earlier this month, they were a struggling team looking for their first road victory of the year. After defeating the Avs 5-1, the Predators began scoring again and accumulated seven more of their ten victories on the year, putting them into fourth place in the Central division. After getting blanked by Winnipeg on Sunday, the Predators would love to reignite their offense once again at the Pepsi Center Tuesday night.

LINES

Bourque-MacKinnon-Rantanen

Grigorenko-Soderberg-Duchene

Comeau-Mitchell-Iginla

Martinsen-Colborne-McLeod

Zadorov-Johnson

Wierchioch-Barrie

Beauchemin-Tyutin

Pickard

Varlamov

NOTES

- With Varlamov still getting over his upper body injury, Pickard will start.

- After Saturday's shootout ended the Avs' drought, only Dallas and San Jose have yet to play beyond overtime.

- The Avs made a trade with the Blue Jackets Monday, acquiring Cody Goloubef. Goloubef, a right handed defenseman will be a much needed addition in San Antonio.

GAME INFO

Game time: 7pm MT

TV: ALT