The Colorado Avalanche returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a strong effort against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, but the results didn’t follow. Despite outshooting Nashville 32-17, the Avalanche couldn’t convert their chances in a 2-1 loss. Defenseman Sam Malinski scored the only goal for Colorado, while Nathan MacKinnon was kept off the scoresheet despite firing eight shots on goal. “If I take the result out of it, then I’m actually really happy with the way that we played,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “We had a tough time scoring tonight, and we checked hard. We limited the chances against.” The Avalanche also saw 21 of their shots blocked, something they will need to adjust against a St.

The Tampa Bay Lightning return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break looking to extend their four-game winning streak when they host the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night. Tampa Bay was one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference before the break, going 4-0 in their last four games and improving to 6-0-1 all-time against Seattle with a dominant 5-1 win over the Kraken on Dec. 14. Seattle, however, enters the game fresh off a 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday, but their playoff hopes remain in jeopardy with a grueling schedule ahead. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been on fire, winning his last four starts and going 5-0-1 before the break. He capped off the Lightning’s strong stretch

The Dallas Stars picked up right where they left off before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, securing a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Now, they’ll look to complete a back-to-back road sweep when they face the New York Islanders on Sunday in Elmont, N.Y. With Saturday’s win, the Stars improved to 7-1-1 in their last nine games, reinforcing their status as a top contender in the Western Conference. Dallas currently sits in second place in the Central Division, holding a two-point lead over the Minnesota Wild. Goaltender Casey DeSmith made 31 saves against New Jersey, helping the Stars withstand a 33-26 shot disadvantage and a strong push from the Devils after an early 2-0 Dallas

The Vancouver Canucks and Utah Hockey Club both stumbled in their first games after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, setting up a pivotal Sunday night showdown in Salt Lake City. Vancouver saw its three-game winning streak snapped in a 3-1 road loss to Vegas on Saturday, while Utah fell 5-3 to the Los Angeles Kings despite Barrett Hayton’s historic hat trick. Both teams are looking for a strong response in the second leg of their back-to-back sets. Jake DeBrusk scored Vancouver’s only goal against Vegas, but the team struggled to find its rhythm after the extended layoff. “Just getting the feeling of the puck, like off the boards,” DeBrusk said. “Like myself, I felt rusty.” Despite the loss, Kevin Lankinen