Francois Beauchemin and Nick Holden also scored for Colorado in the first game of a three-game trip.
Miikka Salomaki and Craig Smith scored for Nashville. The Predators fell to 9-4-2 at home and 9-2-1 in its last 12 home games against Colorado.
Colorado seized a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Nashville rallied to tie the score at 2 on Smith’s one-timer from the left point 58 seconds into the third. It was Smith’s seventh goal of the season.
Martinsen’s backhander during a scramble in front of the net gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead with 10:24 left.
Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne, last season’s Vezina Trophy runner-up, made 22 saves and fell to 12-8-5.
Beauchemin gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 8:32 of the first period.
His slapshot from the top of the left faceoff circle may have been partially screened by Predators defenseman Seth Jones.
Colorado increased its lead to 2-0 on a tic-tac-toe goal by Holden with 5:22 left in the first period. His wrist shot beat Rinne stick side after passes from Alex Tanguay and John Mitchell.
Nashville narrowed the deficit to 2-1 on when Salomaki deflected Ryan Ellis’ wrist shot past Varlamov with 7.7 seconds left in the first period.
The Predators outshot the Avalanche 10-1 in the second period, but Varlamov was perfect.
Notes: Colorado left wing Gabriel Landeskog missed his second straight game with a back injury. He could return to the lineup at St. Louis on Sunday. The Avalanche scratched defenseman Zach Redmond and Landeskog. … Nashville scratched defenseman Anthony Bitetto, defenseman Petter Granberg and center Colin Wilson. … Gaustad took two penalties in the first period. … When Colorado returns home Dec. 17, it will end a stretch of 20 road games in 32 games.
Reader Comments