Predators rout Avalanche behind four power-play goals

The Nashville Predators beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday. The win closed out a back-to-back and was their most lopsided of the season. Nashville led 2-0 after the first period and 5-1 after the second. Then each team added one more goal in the third for the final score. Read more: Predators rout Avalanche behind four power-play goals

The win came less than 24 hours after Nashville lost 3-2 in overtime at Pittsburgh on Saturday. Instead of fading on tired legs, the Predators outshot Colorado 35-21 and improved to 4-3-4 on the season.

Nashville's power play did most of the damage. The unit scored four times on seven chances, a 57.1 percent clip. It was Nashville's first four-goal power-play game since Jan. 7, 2012. It also ties for third-most in a single game in franchise history. Colorado's penalty kill had no answer, and Nashville's own kill matched it by going 4 for 4.

Related: Avalanche visit Predators to open five-game homestand

O'Reilly's four-point night

Ryan O'Reilly scored twice and added two assists for four points, the most of any player in the game. Filip Forsberg had three points on a goal and two assists. Meanwhile, Steven Stamkos scored twice and set up another for three points. Roman Josi added three assists.

Forsberg opened the scoring on the power play at 4:01 of the first period. Then Stamkos made it 2-0 at 10:48. A video review confirmed the puck had crossed the line before Colorado's Cale Makar could clear it.

O'Reilly scored on the power play at 6:38 of the second. After that, Jack Drury made it 4-0 at 16:36. O'Reilly struck again on the man advantage at 17:29 for a 5-0 lead.

Artturi Lehkonen got Colorado on the board 17:55 into the second. Then Devon Toews scored on a four-on-four chance early in the third to make it 5-2. Stamkos finished it with a five-on-three power-play goal at 10:24 of the third.

Josi, O'Reilly, Forsberg and Stamkos all reached double-digit points on the season with the win. Four Predators have now hit double figures within the team's first 11 games. That has happened only once before in franchise history, in 2019-20.

The night showed Nashville's top four scorers can win a game by themselves. That held even on the second night of a back-to-back.

Related: Predators’ third-period lead slips away in Pittsburgh

Hunt makes his debut

Defenseman Daemon Hunt made his Predators debut after Nashville claimed him off waivers from Minnesota the day before. He played 9:34, with two shots and a hit.

Justus Annunen, also a former Avalanche goaltender, made 19 saves on 21 shots for Nashville. Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of 35 shots for Colorado. Nashville also won 61.7 percent of its faceoffs.

"We had 20 drivers tonight," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. "Every time it was their turn to grab the wheel, they floored it."

Colorado has lost three of its last four games and fell to 6-5-1. Nashville opened a five-game homestand with the win and hosts the New York Islanders on Tuesday.