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Avalanche hope for big win over Predators

Mar 8, 2012 - 3:49 PM (Sports Network) - Even with victories in six of their last eight games, the Avalanche still face a bit of an uphill battle in the hunt for a playoff spot. An eighth straight loss to the Predators this evening would make that climb a bit more steeper.

Colorado heads to Nashville fresh off a home-and-home sweep of the Minnesota Wild. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was brilliant in the set, posting 30 saves in a 2-0 shutout on Sunday before stopping another 19 shots in a 7-1 home win on Tuesday.

The consecutive wins put the Avalanche into a tie with the Sharks and Kings for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference with 74 points. However, San Jose has three games in hand over Colorado and Los Angeles has two. The Sharks visit the Stars tonight, while the Kings are battling the Blue Jackets.

Colorado broke open Tuesday's win with four goals in the second period. Jamie McGinn, Jan Hejda, Mark Olver and Ryan O'Reilly all scored in the frame and Steve Downie returned from a one-game absence caused by a shoulder injury to notch three assists. Rookie Gabriel Landeskog had a pair of helpers.

"The way we started was great and we played a real solid game tonight," said Avs forward Paul Stastny, who also scored. "Varlamov backed us up with some great saves early and kept us in it. The gates opened up there in the second period."

While Downie returned to up his points total to 10 in seven games since being acquired from Tampa Bay, center Matt Duchene exited Tuesday's victory with an ankle injury. Duchene was playing in his ninth game since sitting out 20 in a row with a knee ailment and was set to be re-evaluated on Wednesday. No update has been given yet, but Duchene did not make the trip to Nashville.

Colorado will be without its young forward as it tries to win at Nashville for the first time since Jan. 6, 2009. It has lost its last five trips to the city.

The Avalanche have also been defeated in seven straight overall versus the Predators, dropping the first six in regulation before suffering a 3-2 overtime defeat in Nashville on Jan. 12. David Legwand scored two goals, including the winner, for the Preds and Pekka Rinne came up with 27 saves.

O'Reilly and Landeskog had the goals for Colorado.

Rinne leads the NHL with 36 wins, but was chased from his last start in the third period on Tuesday after allowing five goals on 24 shots in a 5-4 setback to the Kings.

"To me, it just wasn't Peks' night," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We weren't helping him a whole lot. You've got to help him in the crease area, you've got to clear pucks and you've got to have your men a little firmer than we did. Four is my limit with Peks usually and I thought we still had a lot of game to go, and I thought I would give him one more."

Patric Hornqvist's second goal of the game pulled Nashville to within one with 5:18 to play, but the club lost for only the second time in regulation over its past eight games (5-2-1). Martin Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored.

"We have to play more consistent. We have to play a 60-minute game," Hornqvist said. "We turned the puck over way too many times tonight, but you have to give the Kings credit, too. They stepped up."

Even with the loss, Nashville sits fifth overall in the West with 83 points, four up on Chicago with two games in hand.