Avalanche Look to Build on Tampa Win Against Back-to-Back Predators
Colorado visits Nashville after a 6-3 win, with lineup decisions, MacKenzie Blackwood’s likely start and power-play progress in focus.
Colorado gets a chance to turn a convincing win into a short run of momentum Sunday, when the Avalanche visit Nashville for the first of two trips to Bridgestone Arena this season. The Predators will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing 3-2 in overtime to Pittsburgh on Saturday, giving Colorado a scheduling edge to pursue.
The Avalanche arrive after a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning ended a two-game skid. That result offers a useful starting point, but the test now is whether Colorado can carry its pace and execution into the next game. Nashville’s workload could matter as the night goes on, though Colorado will still need to make the most of its own chances.
Colorado’s forward group hinges on Roy’s status
The Avalanche used 12 forwards and six defensemen against Tampa Bay, and the expectation is that Jared Bednar will keep that arrangement in Nashville. Taylor Makar is in line to occupy the 12th forward spot if the group stays as it was Friday.
Nicolas Roy’s availability is the main variable. He traveled with the team, but his status remained uncertain: reporter Evan Rawal relayed Bednar’s description of Roy as “questionable to doubtful” for Sunday, while noting that he was “doing more every day.” If Roy is ready, he could take Makar’s place in the lineup. Until that decision is settled, Colorado’s final forward spot remains something to watch.
Nicolas Roy will go to Nashville with the team. Bednar said he’s questionable to doubtful for tomorrow but doing more every day.
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) October 24, 2026
L’Heureux’s recovery has been “slow moving.” He’s week to week.
If Makar does dress, his role and workload will be worth tracking. He played just over eight minutes in the Tampa game, and a larger shift total would give him more room to contribute. The available information doesn’t establish what his minutes will be in Nashville, so that will have to be answered on the ice.
Zachary L’Heureux is a longer-term absence. The 23-year-old has been placed on LTIR, and Bednar described his recovery as slow moving and his timeline as week to week, according to Rawal. That leaves Colorado without him for now, while Roy’s status is a game-day question.
Blackwood appears positioned to start
MacKenzie Blackwood looks like the likely choice in goal against Nashville. Colorado has Scott Wedgewood available, but the source’s expectation is that Blackwood gets the start. No confirmed goaltender assignment was provided, so the decision remains a projection rather than a settled lineup detail.
The schedule adds another consideration. After Sunday, the Avalanche are off until Wednesday, when they host New Jersey in a game that could feature Connor Hellebuyck’s debut with his new team. The gap gives Colorado time between games, and Blackwood could be in line to play both if Bednar chooses to use him Sunday and again Wednesday. How the coaching staff manages the workload will become clearer once the Nashville starter is confirmed.
Power play has a chance to carry its progress
Colorado’s power play scored once against Tampa Bay, and the unit will try to build on that result. The changes under Brett MacLean have started to show, though the source describes the work as ongoing. One productive night doesn’t settle the bigger question; the next opportunity is a chance to see whether the revised groups can keep generating useful looks.
T.J. Hughes looked sharper on the first unit against Tampa, while the second group featuring Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson has also shown promise. Those personnel choices give Colorado different options across its two units. Against a Nashville team coming off an overtime game, sustained pressure and clean puck movement could put the visitors in position to take advantage, but the power play still has to convert when its chances arrive.
A win would give the Avalanche consecutive victories and move them closer to the Central Division lead as they work to strengthen their place in the playoff picture. The immediate checklist is clear: confirm Roy’s availability, see whether Blackwood starts, and find out if the power play can extend the improvement it showed against Tampa. Nashville’s back-to-back schedule creates an opening; Colorado’s execution will determine whether it becomes a result.
