DENVER — All hail Cale.
Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored the game-winning goal Thursday night at Ball Arena to lift Colorado to a 2-1 victory and give his team a 2-0 series lead over the Nashville Predators.
Unlike Game 1 on Tuesday night, Thursday night's Game 2 went back and forth between Colorado and Nashville, highlighted by Predators goaltender Connor Ingram making jaw-dropping saves on multiple scoring opportunities presented by the Avalanche.
Ingram finished with 48 saves, but Makar's overtime goal that finally broke through proved to be the difference.
"I tried to just throw it low, and luckily it went in," Makar said. "Most the time, hockey Gods are going to reward you for that hard work."
Colorado struck first just over 5 minutes into the game when Nathan MacKinnon raced into the Nashville zone and fire a shot past Ingram. Nashville responded with an equalizer near the end of the opening period off a goal from Yakov Trenin.
Neither team scored for the rest of regulation, despite the Avalanche showering Ingram in shots. Makar's game-winner was delivered 8:31 into overtime.
Colorado takes a 2-0 lead in the series, which next shifts to Nashville for Games 3 and 4. The Avalanche and Predators are schedule to next play at Bridgestone Arena Saturday morning at 2:30 p.m. (MT).
"It will be rowdy, hostile," Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said." We need to take what we did at home and transfer it over there."
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