Avalanche fall 7-3 at home to Predators but keep 10-point lead entering Week 16

Cbssports reports the Colorado Avalanche finally lost at home, falling 7-3 to the Nashville Predators at Ball Arena, yet they remain the NHL's top team as Week 16 begins.

The Avalanche had just two regulation losses in their first 40 games, but earlier this month they dropped games to the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning on a road trip before opening a seven-game homestand with two wins, an overtime loss to Toronto and the Nashville setback that left them 19-1-3 at Ball Arena. Colorado then beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 to split its two games last week. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 38 goals and is tied for the league scoring lead at 85 points, Martin Necas has 60 points (seventh in the NHL), Cale Makar leads all defensemen with 54 points, and Brock Nelson has registered points in 10 of his last 11 games.

Despite the recent slide, the club enters Week 16 with a 10-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, two players among the NHL's top seven in points, the league's top-scoring defenseman and what the report describes as one of the NHL's strongest goaltending tandems.

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Sports, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, Ball Arena, Nathan Mackinnon, Cale Makar