NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Desperately needing two points, the Colorado Avalanche started a brutally tough week by bumping off one of the NHL's hottest teams.
Jumping out to a 3-0 lead before the first period was 12 minutes old, Colorado kept its slender Western Conference playoff hopes alive by holding off the Nashville Predators for a 4-3 verdict Monday night in Bridgestone Arena.
The Avalanche (39-33-4) moved within three points of the idle Minnesota Wild for the final wild-card spot in the West. Colorado plays at St. Louis on Tuesday night before returning home this weekend to face the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals on Friday night and the Blues on Sunday.
Center Shawn Matthias scored what turned out to be the winning goal at 12:13 of the third period. It came in very handy when Nashville (39-24-13) tallied twice in a 24-second span, center Colton Sissons notching his fourth on a deflection followed by a wrister from defenseman Roman Josi at 15:22.
Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov picked up his 27th win by stopping 32 shots, including clutch saves on center Mike Ribeiro and right winger James Neal in the final four minutes.
Nashville backup goalie Carter Hutton, who replaced Pekka Rinne at 11:40 of the first period, saved 16 of 17 shots but was charged with the loss. Rinne turned away seven of 10 shots.
The Predators, who lost in regulation for just the third time since Feb. 9, could have clinched a playoff spot with a regulation win.
Colorado knocked out Rinne in the first period with three goals in just over five minutes.
Left winger Blake Comeau initiated scoring at 6:36, collecting a horrible giveaway from defenseman Mattias Ekholm between the faceoff circles and potting his 12th goal on a wrister.
Left winger Gabriel Landeskog made it 2-0 at 10:10 by deflecting a centering pass from center Carl Soderberg for his 19th goal.
Right winger Jack Skille finished the outburst by tipping home a shot from left winger Cody McLeod at 11:40, prompting Predators coach Peter Laviolette to insert Hutton for Rinne.
Nashville got on the board at 17:08 of the first on a wrister from the right faceoff dot by right winger Craig Smith, his 20th goal of the season.
The Predators appeared to cut the deficit to 3-2 at 17:23 of the second period, but right winger Miikka Salomaki's goal was wiped out after a replay review detected Nashville was offside.
NOTES: Colorado Cs Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon remain out due to knee injuries, although Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said Duchene skated on his own Sunday. ... Nashville D Anthony Bitetto (lower body) missed his fifth consecutive game. ... Colorado shipped LW Mikko Rantanen to its AHL affiliate in San Antonio, allowing the team to preserve the first year of his three-year, entry-level contract. Rantanen went scoreless in nine games, and the club would have lost the first year had he played in a 10th game. ... D Andrew Bodnarchuk and D Eric Gelinas were healthy scratches for the Avalanche.
