NASHVILLE – The Avalanche, as Jared Bednar loves to say, “beat up the puck” on Saturday against the Predators. That might have actually helped their goaltender get into a rhythm.

Mackenzie Blackwood was not only Colorado’s best player, but there’s an argument to be made that he was their only good player against the Predators, as he stopped all 35 shots sent his way to lead the Avalanche to a 3-0 win. It was an ugly, ugly first period for the Avalanche, who scored 15 seconds in thanks to a Brent Burns point shot, but proceeded to give up 16 shots in the following 19:45.

Maybe that’s the type of action Blackwood needed to shake off some of the rust he’s been working through.

“Maybe,” Blackwood said after the win. “Definitely didn’t have a chance to sit around and be a spectator.”

Colorado’s assumed No. 1 goaltender has had trouble getting into game action since returning from offseason surgery because Scott Wedgewood has played out of his mind. That’s made it difficult for Blackwood to shake off the rust that comes with not having played many games over the last six months.

In the meantime, he’s been working extra hard during both full and optional practices with goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila. Was tonight a culmination of all the hard work he’s been putting in or just the fact that he’s seeing a bit more action now?

“Probably both,” Blackwood said. “Last year, I was in a good spot, reading plays well, playing games, lots of confidence. But, you know, I heard that quote (about) success, ‘rents due every day, you got to put in the work.’ Just because you had it last year, doesn’t mean you’re going to have it this year. Just got to keep working.”

His captain knows that coming back from a long absence isn’t exactly easy.

“Listen, injuries are not easy by any stretch, and especially in that kind of position that he’s in as a goalie and dealing with that and obviously missing training camp,” Gabriel Landeskog said. “He hadn’t had a whole lot of time to really ramp up, so we knew it was going to take some time. For him, it’s just kind of taking it on his schedule and making sure he feels good. Obviously, we’ve got two really good goaltenders in him and (Wedgewood), so it allows him to find his game.”

“Tonight, he looked awesome.”

The Avalanche, however, did not look awesome. Ice conditions looked to be suboptimal, but the Avalanche didn’t make it any easier on themselves with some of the decisions they were making. Even though they walked away with the victory, their coach wasn’t very happy.

“It wasn’t very good, I’ll tell you that,” Bednar said after the win. “It got better once we turned the page in the second period and tried to start that game over, but the first period was horrendous…we did have some guys that played real well, but we had a lot of guys that struggled tonight, and our best player was our goalie.”

Some nights, you’re going to need that. And Blackwood getting his mojo back might be the best thing that could happen for this team in the long run.

Avalanche 3, Predators 0

What happened: Blackwood saved Colorado’s bacon for their eighth straight win.

What went right: Just Blackwood and not a whole lot else. It does appear the Avalanche are happy with Landeskog’s progress, as he played over 18 minutes for the second straight game. Part of that is due to their current injury troubles…

What went wrong: Another day, another injury to a forward, as the team announced Gavin Brindley is week to week with a lower-body injury and will be reevaluated in “a few weeks.” A tough break for the young forward.

Avalanche goal scorers: Burns (2), MacKinnon (17), Drury (4)

Between the pipes: Blackwood stopped all 35 shots for his 15th career shutout.

What’s next: No rest for the Avalanche, who fly to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks Sunday at 5 p.m.