Denver, CO (My Sportsbook) - Cody McLeod scored twice and Peter Budaj made 25 saves, as the Colorado Avalanche topped the Nashville Predators, 5-1, at the Pepsi Center.

John-Michael Liles posted a goal and an assist, his third consecutive multi- point performance for the Avalanche, who have won three games in a row and four of five overall.

"We were focusing on getting the puck in deep tonight and we did a good job of doing that," McLeod said. "We've lost two key players in Joe (Sakic) and Paul (Stastny), but we got others contributing."

Jason Arnott scored a power-play goal for Nashville, which has dropped seven of its last 10 games. Pekka Rinne allowed five goals on 21 shots in defeat.

"I am not happy with the result," said Rinne. "They got a few lucky bounces and a few goals I should have had. It's just one of those nights when they seem to have scored on every chance they had."

McLeod opened the scoring 8:34 into the contest. Marek Svatos' centering try from the left corner bounced through the crease and McLeod was at the far post to slam the puck home.

The winger gave the Avalanche a two-goal edge with 8:30 remaining in the first stanza. Brett Clark let fly a slapper from the left point that caught a piece of McLeod stationed in front of the crease.

Chris Stewart and David Jones lit the lamp 1:35 apart in the second period to make it 4-0. After Stewart, a first-round pick in 2006, buried his third goal in 11 games since being recalled from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League, Jones found the back of the net at 6:17.

The second-year forward carried the puck down the right wing, chipped it past a Nashville defenseman along the boards, drove to the net and banked a shot off Rinne's left leg.

Arnott put the Preds on the board three minutes later with a power-play goal, firing a slap shot from the left point that caromed off Colorado defenseman Adam Foote's stick and sailed high over the glove of Budaj.

Liles scored 48 seconds into the third period, hammering a feed from Ryan Smyth while on a 2-on-0 breakaway.

Game Notes

Smyth has registered two goals and five assists in the last three games while Liles has three goals and four assists during that span...Svatos and Wojtek Wolski both collected two helpers for the Avs, who have won seven of their last eight on home ice...Nashville has lost six straight on the road...Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk appeared in his 737th career game, tying Peter Stastny for fourth place on the franchise's all-time games played list. Only Sakic (1,378), Foote (838) and Michel Goulet (813) have played in more...Before the game, Colorado placed forwards Cody McCormick (foot) and Paul Stastny on injured reserve. Stastny is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a fractured right forearm.