An Avalanche win against Nashville at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night would put the team in the NHL record books with a 13-1 record, tying the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators as the only teams to begin a season with 13 wins in the first 14 games.
But Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said Wednesday morning that he's more concerned with having a productive first period against the Predators, who will be playing the third game of a seven-game, 17-day road trip.
The Predators are away from the Bridgestone Arena to accommodate the Country Music Association awards. They're 1-0-1 in the first two games of the marathon trip.
"We need to focus on preparing ourselves for tonight and make sure we focus when we get to the rink, make sure that we play a strong game and especially have a strong start," Roy said. "These guys are on the road for a long time and I'm sure they're going to want to have a good start and try to win that first period. It'll be important for us to be ready right at the start of this game."
The Avalanche has outscored teams 19-9 during a six-game winning streak, the second such streak this season since a 4-2 loss to Detroit on Oct. 17.
The Predators will be without center Mike Fisher, who sustained a lower-body injury Saturday in the Predators' 4-3 win in Los Angeles.
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is sidelined with a hip ailment, but Carter Hutton has played well in his absence. Hutton, who was signed as a free agent in July, has posted a 3-1-1 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
*****
Left wing Jamie McGinn will return to the Avalanche lineup after missing three games with a knee injury. He'll be on the third line with John Mitchell and Max Talbot.
"It feels like the first game of the year again," McGinn said. "I'm really excited to get going. I want to bring a lot of energy and just keep the train rolling. The guys did a great job while I was out. It's always tough watching. You want to be a part of every game. We keep finding ways and playing a solid game, and that's what we expect to do tonight."
Rookie Nathan MacKinnon will replace injured right wing Alex Tanguay on the line with Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny. Tanguay will be sidelined for at least two weeks with the knee injury he sustained Saturday against Montreal.
Here's the Avalanche lineup:
Forwards Ryan O'Reilly -- Matt Duchene -- PA Parenteau Gabriel Landeskog -- Paul Stastny -- Nathan MacKinnon Jamie McGinn -- John Mitchell -- Max Talbot Cody McLeod -- Marc-Andre Cliche -- Patrick Bordeleau
Defense Andre Benoit -- Cory Sarich Jan Hejda -- Erik Johnson Ryan Wilson --Nate Guenin
Goalies Semyon Varlamov Jean-Sebastien Giguere