NASHVILLE — The Avalanche’s quest for the Stanley Cup won’t get derailed by Nashvegas, so long as a stooge in a Predators sweater doesn’t gouge somebody’s eye out. Colorado lost goalie Darcy Kuemper on Saturday to the dangerously reckless mayhem committed by Nashville knucklehead Ryan Johansen, but emerged from this NHL playoff game with a 7-3 victory.
“You’re always worried when you see a guy holding his eye and heading off,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said after the Predators tried to goon it up with a Colorado team they have zero shot of beating at hockey.
In an odd way, maybe the classless Predators are helping to build the championship character of the Avs, who didn’t blink when Kuemper got poked in the eye by Johansen late in the first period.