The Colorado Avalanche are facing off against another divisional rival, the St. Louis Blues in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This matchup is a lot closer than many people seem to think. Just by looking at the numbers prior to this, it won’t be like playing the Nashville Predators again. Throughout the regular season, the Blues had a goals per game average of 3.77 which was 3rd best in the league. Avs had a goals per game average of 3.76. The powerplay is also a huge advantage that the Blues have since they ended up finishing 2nd in the entire league at 27%. Avs penalty kill was ranked 15th at 79.7%. Staying out of the box would be in Colorado’s best interest. Now even though the Blues have a lot going for them, the Avs took the season series 2-1. A fun series is what was expected, and that is exactly what we’ve gotten so far.
Game 1 took place at Ball arena in Denver. Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper were the starters for their respective clubs to start the series. The Blues wasted no time by striking first thanks to Ryan O’Reilly. However, in the 2nd period the Avs would respond with a flurry of chances. Val Nichushkin and Samuel Girard both found a way to beat the hot goaltender to take a 2-1 lead. Colorado would continue to dominate the play, but Jordan Binnington remained tall throughout giving his club a chance to stay in the game. Finally, in the 3rd period the Blues got a powerplay where Jordan Kyrou found the back of the net to equalize it late to force overtime. The goal came after a bad change by the Avs after thinking that they cleared the puck deep which led to a mad scramble to get back into position. In overtime, the Avalanche outshot the Blues 12-0 before Josh Manson shot the 13th, to win game 1. The score was not reflective of how Colorado played as they outshot and out hit the Blue by a wide margin.
Game 2 was a different story. Jordan Binnington picked up right where had left off for St. Louis. Scoring did not occur until the 2nd period. Jordan Kyrou broke the ice to take some of the life out of the building. David Perron on a 2-man advantage added to the lead to make it 2-0 heading into the final frame of play. Colorado was gifted a powerplay, which they capitalized on to cut the deficit in half. Captain Gabriel Landeskog was the one to convert on man advantage. This gave the Avs their legs back after a night of miscommunication. After being too aggressive, the Blues forced a turnover, leading to an odd man rush where David Perron was able to score his 2nd goal of the night, to essentially seal the deal. Brandon Saad added to the Blues lead by potting an empty netter. The Blues made a phenomenal adjustment to steal a game away before heading back to their barn in St. Louis. As for the Avs, they played one of the worst games they’ve played in a while.
For game 3, the site was at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The game became a physical tilt with some serious hits. Ivan Barbashev for the Blues got the physicality started after laying a massive hit on Samuel Girard early which forced him to leave the ice. It was later diagnosed that Girard had broken his sternum and will miss the rest of the playoffs. To add to this tough break for the Avs, Colton Parayko fired one from the point to take the 1-0 lead. Later in the period, Jordan Binnington was knocked over by Nazem Kadri trying to get to a loose puck. He was also competing with a defender who ran into him as well. Jordan Binnington appeared to be in slight discomfort and would also leave the game. Ville Husso would go in to substitute. After all the craziness, Logan O’Connor was able to fuel the Avs with his break away tally, sparking their offense. In the 2nd period, Nazem Kadri cashed in on the powerplay with a redirection to take the needed lead. Arturri Lehknonen made it 3 unanswered goals on a 2 on 1 rush to take 3-1 advantage. Blues finally responded late in the frame to make it a 1 goal hockey game going into the 3rd period. From there the Blues had lots of chances, but came up short. Gabriel Landeskog was able to extend their lead after catching Ville Husso coming to the bench to get an extra attacker. Then, Artturi Lehkonen snatched his 2nd of the night with an empty net tally to complete the 5-2 win. A great response after a flat game 2.
Colorado won a pivotal away game to maintain their home ice advantage. It would be amazing if they could win game 4 to head back to Denver for a potential series clinching game 5. Where the Avs have gotten in trouble is not being disciplined, allowing the Blues powerplay to work. Luckily, the penalty kill stepped up to the plate in game 3 to kill 2/2 penalties. This will need to continue in order to remain successful. Another story line is that Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar haven’t scored yet this series, well they’ve contributed through their playmaking abilities to create opportunities for their teammates. It also shows how amazing the depth is with this Avalanche team. The Blues however, have other ideas. Unfortunate news for them as Jordan Binnington will miss the rest of the series due to the collision in game 3. Ville Husso will have to play for the remainder of the series. A key game 4 will be Monday in St.Louis.
