Pekka Rinne
The Nashville Predators advanced to the Western Conference Second Round with a 5-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6 of the first round at Pepsi Center on Sunday.
Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for the Predators, who will play the Winnipeg Jets in the second round.
Viktor Arvidsson, Nick Bonino, Filip Forsberg, Austin Watson and Mattias Ekholm scored for Nashville.
Andrew Hammond made 32 saves for Colorado.
The Predators took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Ekholm and Watson.
Colton Sissons passed across to Ekholm in the left face-off circle for a shot past a screened Hammond at 7:02 to make it 1-0. It was the first goal by a Predators defenseman in the series.
Watson made it 2-0 at 10:19. Bonino, who had two assists, gained possession in the left corner after an Avalanche turnover and passed to Sissons, who skated through the slot as Nathan MacKinnon got tangled with Hammond, who scrambled along the ice. Sissons shot through the crease off the left post and Watson banged in the loose puck.
Forsberg scored 38 seconds into the second period to make it 3-0. He skated down the left wing on a 2-on-1 rush and shot between Hammond’s left arm and body.
Bonino made it 4-0 when he scored from the top of the slot at 8:26 of the second with a shot that went in off Hammond’s blocker 13 seconds after the Avalanche killed a penalty.
The Predators made it 5-0 on Arvidsson’s goal at 2:36 of the third period.
Pete Weber’s Postgame Report
