This year’s first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon’s Colorado Avalanche beat fourth selection Seth Jones’ Nashville Predators 3-1 on Friday, but their teammates stole the show.
In the mind of Predators fans, the real story was probably Steve Downie’s hit on Roman Josi, and really, Downie in general. The 26-year-old drew 10 PIM:
Downie: tripping (20 seconds into second period)
Charging (9:21 into second period)
Charging again (12:10 into second period)
Roughing, twice (9:28 into the third)
From Colorado’s perspective, it might have been P.A. Parenteau’s night. He scored two goals (albeit one an empty-netter) to help the Avs win.
That’s not to say that the two rookies were lost out there.
MacKinnon collected a secondary assist, fired two shots and logged 17:14 minuts of ice time. Jones didn’t generate a whole lot, with just one shot and a -1 rating in 25:46 minutes.
While their numbers aren’t eye-popping, they still seem like they belong at the NHL already, so both fan bases should be pleased.