Samuel Girard scored at 2:47 of overtime and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 in Denver on Monday night.
Nashville defenseman Brady Skjei had the puck just inside the blue line in the Colorado zone but lost an edge. Girard took the puck, skated in on goalie Juuse Saros ahead of Skjei and scored over Saros’ blocker to win it.
It was Girard’s first goal of the season, and he also added an assist on the night.
Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews also scored and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 29 shots for the Avalanche, who have won two in a row.
Luke Evangelista and Colton Sissons scored for the Predators, and Saros finished with 29 saves.
Georgiev allowed an early goal for the second straight game but then kept Nashville off the board for the next two periods. The Predators got that goal 1:45 during a delayed penalty.
Juuso Parssinen took a shot from the point that Georgiev stopped but Evangelista scooped the rebound and tapped it in for his second goal of the season.
It stayed that way until the second period. Four seconds after Nashville killed off Zachary L’Heureux’s minor, Toews took a shot from the point that deflected off a Predators stick and by Saros at 4:32.
It was the first goal of the season for Toews.
The Avalanche took the lead midway through the second when Joel Kiviranta had the puck at the top of the slot, passed it to Rantanen in the right circle, and his one-timer beat Saros to the short side at 11:37.
It was his ninth of the season and the second straight game with a goal.
Nashville tied it up in the first minute of the final period. Roman Josi stole the puck at the Colorado blueline, skated into the zone and fed Sissons with a pass to the side of the crease. Sissons slid it into a wide-open net at 59 seconds.
It was his second of the season.
–Field Level Media
