Give the Colorado Avalanche credit for putting up a gallant fight in their first-round Western Conference series with the Nashville Predators. In fact Corey Linsley Jersey , Colorado came within a post of forcing overtime in Game 4 and possibly evening the series Wednesday night.

But Colin Wilson’s point-blank chance clanged off the right post, enabling Nashville to leave Denver with a 3-2 victory and a 3-1 series lead. The Predators can eliminate the Avalanche on Friday night with a win in Game 5 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

All the odds appear to be stacked against Colorado. Nashville is 15-2 in its last 17 playoff home games, including 5-2 and 5-4 wins in Games 1 and 2 of this series. The Predators are averaging four goals per game and have been better on special teams.

What’s more, the Avalanche are down to their third goalie for this elimination game. Starter Semyon Varlamov is out for the series with a lower-body injury and backup Jonathan Bernier, who started the first four games, departed after two periods Wednesday night with his own lower-body injury.

That means Andrew Hammond, who made a name for himself three seasons ago by going 20-1-2 for Ottawa and helping it steal an Eastern Conference playoff berth, will get the call for Game 5. Hammond stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period Wednesday night.

“Any chance you get in the net, you want to take advantage of it,” Hammond said. “So I tried doing that tonight, and just unfortunate that we weren’t able to get the win there at the end.”

Colorado can blame its inability to convert second-period power plays and the work of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. The Avalanche whiffed on a lengthy five-on-three early in the period – they converted a second one early in the third period to jump-start its comeback – and also missed another man-advantage later in the second.

The Predators scored immediately after killing both penalties, and also got a return to form from Rinne. After being hooked from Game 3 when he ceded four goals on 15 shots, Rinne came up with 31 stops in Game 4 Jordan Matthews Jersey , looking more like the goalie favored to take home the first Vezina Trophy of his career.

“I think we did a really good job at the end,” Rinne said. “At the end of the day, only a couple of pucks got all the way to me. We blocked a few and they missed the net a couple of times, so we killed the clock pretty good.”

While Colorado will be without Bernier in Game 5, Nashville will play without forward Ryan Hartman. He was suspended one game for an illegal check to the head of center Carl Soderberg in the third period of Game 4.

With Hartman out, veteran Scott Hartnell could draw into the lineup for his first action of the series. Regardless, the Predators should be motivated to close the series out and rest for a potential second-round matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’t’s going to be another battle Friday night,” Nashville captain Roman Josi said. “They are a great team over there and every game is tough.”

The Latest on the NFL draft Saturday (all times local):

6:15 p.m.

”Mr. Irrelevant” 2018 is SMU receiver Trey Quinn.

Quinn was the final player selected in the three-day NFL draft, No. 256 overall by the Washington Redskins.

After playing his first two seasons at LSU, the 6-foot, 202-pound Quinn transferred to SMU where he had to sit out a season.

As a junior last year with the Mustangs, Quinn had 114 catches for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns. Quinn led the nation with 114 receptions and 8.8 per game. His 114 receptions are the most in a single season at SMU.

He also threw a no-hitter in the opening round of the 2008 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Will Hernandez Jersey , for South Lake Charles, La.

He opted to bypass his senior season for early entry in the NFL draft, as did his SMU teammate Courtland Sutton, also a receiver.

Sutton, who had 68 catches for 1,085 yards and 12 TDs, was the 40th overall pick, in the second round by Denver.

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5:30 p.m.

The Dallas Cowboys have acquired defensive lineman Jihad Ward from Oakland for receiver and kick returner Ryan Switzer.

It’s the second trade of the day for the Cowboys involving a receiver, this time with one leaving instead of coming in. Dallas got Tavon Austin, the eighth overall pick in 2013, from the Los Angeles Rams for a sixth-round pick.

Ward was a healthy scratch most of last season, playing five games despite being a second-round pick in 2016. He had his only career sack in 2017. Ward has played both end and tackle on the defensive line.

Switzer was a fourth-round pick last year with the idea that he would become the primary kick returner. The highlight of his rookie season was an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in a win over Washington.

The trade reunites Switzer with special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, who left the Cowboys for the same job on new Raiders coach Jon Gruden’s staff.

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5:15 p.m.

The Eagles traded up in the seventh round to select Australian rugby player Jordan Mailata with pick No. 233. Mailata, 6-foot-7 Jared Cook Jersey , 346 pounds, is projected as an offensive tackle. He visited eight teams, including Philadelphia, and spent a lot of time with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

The Eagles gave the New England Patriots pick No. 250 and a seventh-rounder next year to move up 17 spots.

– Rob Maaddi reporting from Philadelphia.

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5 p.m.

Alabama center Bradley Bozeman was selected with the 215th overall pick, a sixth-rounder, by the Baltimore Ravens. He was the 10th Alabama player drafted, tying a school record with one round to go.

Running back Bo Scarbrough later went to the Cowboys in the seventh round to set the school record.

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4:30 p.m.

The Chiefs should have been quite familiar with their final selection in this year’s NFL draft.

His dad calls the shots for their biggest rival.

The Chiefs traded up in the sixth round Saturday to select defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie out of Tennessee. His father is longtime NFL linebacker and current Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, whose team has become one of the Chiefs’ biggest obstacles in the AFC West.

Chiefs area scout Pat Perduto laughed when asked whether he spent much time talking to the prospect’s pop, then conceded there was a chuckle in the draft room when the call was made.

The Chiefs actually view the 330-pound youngster as a potential guard.

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3:45 p.m.

Luke Falk patterns not just his game but the way he lives his life after Tom Brady.

Same diet and recovery habits. The Washington State quarterback now has another thing in common with the Patriots quarterback: Falk was also taken with the 199th pick of the draft.

Falk put up huge numbers in Washington State’s spread offense under coach Mike Leach and left school as the Pac-12 record holder in total offense, passing touchdowns, passing yards, completions, and attempts.

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3:30 p.m.

The Dallas Cowboys had five Super Bowl championship trophies to show off while hosting the NFL draft. They were all on display in a corner at the NFL Draft Experience outside of AT&T Stadium.

Maybe that location off the beaten path was appropriate since it has been a long time since their most recent one.

The Cowboys won the Lombardi Trophy during the 1995 season, which was their third in four years with the Hall of Fame trio of quarterback Troy Aikman Junior Seau Jersey , running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin.

The New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are also five-time champions. The Patriots have won all of their Super Bowl titles since 2001, long after the last of the championships by the Cowboys.

Only the Pittsburgh Steelers have more Super Bowl titles. They won their sixth Lombardi Trophy during the 2008 season, two years before going back to the Super Bowl and losing to the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Cowboys.

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3 p.m.

No punting away these picks.

Three punters were selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft, including consecutive picks late in the round. It is the first time since 1988 that three punters were taken in the first five rounds.

On Saturday, Michael Dickson, the Australian from the University of Texas, was picked 149th overall by Seattle. Alabama punter JK Scott was drafted 172nd overall by Green Bay, a pick before Oakland took Johnny Townsend from Florida. Townsend was the NCAA leader last season with a 47.5-yard average on his 64 punts.

In 1988, there were three punters selected in the first 102 picks. Tom Tupa, who also went 4-9 as a starting quarterback during Womens Jalyn Holmes Jersey