NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Minus defenseman and ice-time leader Erik Johnson, the Avalanche conducted a morning skate at Bridgestone Arena in preparation for Tuesday night’s game against the Nashville Predators, who are 18-2-1 at home.
Johnson, the Avs’ only selected all-star who did not compete in last weekend’s all-star weekend in Columbus, Ohio, had minor knee surgery over the break and is out for at least three weeks. He will be replaced by Zach Redmond, who will be paired with Johnson’s regular partner, Jan Hejda. The other two defensive parings will remain the same, coach Patrick Roy said.
“We’ll try this at the start of the game. I’m not sure if it’ll be like that at the end of the game. But we’ll see how it goes,” Roy said.
Regarding the Predators’ dominating home record, Roy said: “They’re intense, they work hard. They put a lot of pucks on net and drive the net hard. It’s a nice opportunity, a nice challenge for our team.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikechambers
