Avalanche visit Predators to open five-game homestand

The Colorado Avalanche arrive at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday for the first meeting between the two teams this season. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Central (8 p.m. Eastern) on ESPN+ nationally and Scripps Sports in the Nashville market. Read more: Avalanche visit Predators to open five-game homestand

Colorado comes in at 6-4-1 and off a 6-3 win over Tampa Bay on Friday. In that game, Nathan MacKinnon collected four points to end a two-game skid.

Meanwhile, Nashville sits at 3-3-4 and has lost five of its last six games. The latest was an overtime defeat at Pittsburgh on Saturday night. So Sunday is an early test of whether the Predators can halt that slide. Colorado already has 13 points through 11 games.

Nashville is also playing on no rest. The Predators are on the back end of a back-to-back after flying in from Pittsburgh following Saturday's loss. Colorado, however, has had two full days since beating Tampa Bay.

Sunday opens a five-game Nashville homestand at Bridgestone Arena. The Islanders visit Tuesday, and then Washington and Tampa Bay follow. Finally, Carolina closes out the stand Nov. 4 before the Predators return to the road. Both teams enter with a winning mark inside their own division. Nashville is 2-1-0 against Central Division opponents this season, and Colorado is 2-1-1.

Forward Steven Stamkos scored on three shots in Saturday's loss at Pittsburgh and leads Nashville with five goals this season. Now he faces a Colorado lineup led by MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Related: Koivunen scores in OT as Penguins rally past Predators

Health and the crease

Neither team had named a starting goaltender as of this writing. Nashville's choice is between Juuse Saros, the Predators' usual No. 1, and backup Justus Annunen, the only two goalies on the roster. Colorado's options are Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.

Colorado is already without center Nicolas Roy, sidelined by a lower-body injury with an expected return of Wednesday, Oct. 28. Left wing Zachary L'Heureux remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and isn't expected back until Nov. 7, per ESPN's injury report.

ESPN lists no Nashville player on its own injury report for this game. Other previews list defenseman William Trudeau on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. One outlet projects a return as late as Nov. 14.

Related: Predators shut out in Boston

The market's number

DraftKings lists Colorado as a -230 moneyline favorite with Nashville at +190, according to ESPN's odds data. The puck line is Colorado -1.5 and Nashville +1.5, and the total sits at 6.5 goals.

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Nashville also made its own roster move this week. The Predators claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt off waivers from Minnesota on Friday and placed Jack Ahcan on waivers in the same transaction. It's Hunt's third NHL organization, after stints with Minnesota and Columbus.