Ex-Avalanche Forward Delivers Big Night as Predators Take Down Hurricanes

Have a night, Ross Colton.

The former Colorado Avalanche forward finished with a goal and an assist as the Nashville Predators picked up a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. Colton capped off his two-point performance with an empty-net goal in the final minute to put the game away.

Colton's departure came after a frustrating end to his time in Colorado. He was left out of the lineup for the first two games of the Avalanche's opening-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings before returning to action later in the series. Now with Nashville, he's looking to make the most of a fresh start.

Roman Josi also had a goal and an assist, while Filip Forsberg chipped in with two helpers. Nashville has now won two straight.

The Predators opened the scoring late in the first period when Nick Perbix found the back of the net for the first time this season. Forsberg created the opportunity by stealing the puck from Sean Walker and sending a cross-ice pass to Perbix, who beat Pyotr Kochetkov with a wrist shot at the 11:32 mark.

Forsberg and Josi connected again early in the second period. Josi came down the left side and finished off another cross-ice feed with a tap-in at 3:29, giving Nashville a 2-0 lead.

Carolina got one back at 10:28 when Jackson Blake scored on a rebound. Josi blocked his initial attempt, but Blake stayed with the play and beat Juuse Saros with a backhand. The goal extended Blake's career-best point streak to seven games, with three goals and six assists during that stretch.

Adam Edstrom restored Nashville's two-goal advantage at 5:40 of the third period, scoring his sixth goal of the season and setting a new career high.

Colton's empty-netter in the final minute sealed the 4-1 victory. It's always nice to see a former Av find success with a new team, and Tuesday was certainly a good night for the Nashville forward.

Saros finished with 29 saves for the Predators, while Kochetkov stopped 16 shots. The loss was Kochetkov's first of the season, ending a remarkable run of 10 consecutive wins to start the year. He became just the third goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first 10 decisions in a season.

The defeat also snapped Carolina's four-game winning streak, while Nashville heads into its next game having won back-to-back contests.