St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are set to take on the Colorado Avalanche in a momentous Game 1 of their second round series.

We needed the time to get it a couple of days for rest and once we found out that it was St. Louis and we needed a few days to prepare as coaches before we start presenting stuff to our players to get organized. For the third year in a row, the Blues and Avs will square off as St. Louis looks to even the score and advance to the Western Conference Final. Against the Predators, the team was led by defenseman Cale Makar who scored three goals and 10 points in four games. Of the break and the second round preparation, Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews said: “It’s just day-by-day for us at this point. Follow Mike on Twitter for further Blues or Central division hockey discussions, interview requests, or to provide content info. He allowed 11 goals with a 3.78 GAA and a .897 SV%. His inconsistent play and lack of playoff success since the 2019 championship run have led to several trade rumors, especially after pending unrestricted free agent Ville Husso stole the starting job this year. It’s going to be a fun and tough challenge again for us.” Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington will likely want to put the regular season behind him. The series against the Avalanche will likely play a part in what the Blues’ front office attempts to do with him moving forward and if his future is in St. Louis. The Avalanche have plenty of firepower, with four players who produced more than 80 points and seven players who scored more than 20 goals. “It’s going to be a very tough challenge for us. However, the Blues have some firepower of their own, with nine players who scored 20 or more goals during the regular season and four who produced more than 70 points.

If Colorado wants to win this series, we should expect Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon to continue their stellar playoff performances. Still, they will also ...

I’m going to keep an eye on this goalie matchup as it may be the deciding factor in this series. The Blues are a deep and dangerous team riding the momentum of their first-round victory. Pavel Francouz stepped in and ended the series in four, giving Darcy plenty of time for healing. They have earned the opportunity to change that against a familiar foe in the Blues. We didn’t see Alex Newhook in any of the four games against Nashville, but they were a heavy-hitting squad. Rantanen is a monster on the powerplay, so keep an eye on him anytime the Avalanche have a man advantage.

DENVER (AP) — Josh Manson scored 8:02 into overtime, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his return to the net from an eye injury, and the Colorado Avalanche ...

Blues defenseman Justin Faulk took a hit to the head from Kadri in Game 2 last season and didn’t return in a series that Colorado swept. It was the eighth straight playoff win over the Blues in a streak that dates to Game 4 of the 2001 conference finals. O'Reilly has a goal in five straight playoff games, matching the longest playoff goal streak in Blues history. “Had a great time here,” O'Reilly said. It took a few days for the swelling to subside. Kyrou scored on the power play to tie the game with 3:14 remaining. “They have a good team. Ryan O’Reilly had a first-period goal and Jordan Kyrou tied it late for St. Louis. Binnington kept the Blues close with one sprawling save after another. We have a good team. We were able to hem them in and (Manson) put it top shelf.” “It feels good to get that (win) with your team.” Valeri Nichushkin and Samuel Girard also scored for an Avalanche team that had a weeklong layoff after sweeping Nashville. It showed early on, too, before they found their stride.

NHL managements aren't immune to this. I don't have any insider information on this, but I'd be shocked if they'd figured out a way to stop asking what if?—it's ...

The best hope the Preds have of getting a sorely-needed shakeup is if the Blues win this round. If the Avalanche lose soon, and decisively, that doubt gets a lot bigger. Team B eliminates Team A, then goes on to face Team C. What if it was A who’d won the first series and was playing C? Maybe C would have been a better matchup for A, and A could have gone on to the conference finals, instead of going out in the first round. Right now, the Nashville Predators are not a great team. Whether you think coaching was at fault in their series loss, and Hynes shouldn’t have been hired or has done his job and should head out, or whether you think the problem is more fundamental than that and David Poile needs to go, they were not just a few tweaks away from beating a fully-healthy Avalanche team. I don’t blame Hynes for the loss, though I think there are things he could and maybe should have done differently anyway.

The St. Louis Blues needed to get on top of the Colorado Avalanche early in this series. While they sort of did, it went downhill quickly.

Maybe they lose both in Colorado, but I think the Blues find a way to be better in Game 2. Credit to Colorado for possessing the Blues to death. Not all of it was on the players going to the bench. However, the Blues needed to show something…anything. By all accounts, the Blues got outplayed in this game. I have not seen the Blues this weak on the puck since their midseason swoon. The Blues just looked befuddled. The Blues were just looking to change every time they got to center ice. He did not agree with it at all, bashing the penalty box camera into oblivion, but the Blues held on for overtime. Somehow, the Blues managed to keep themselves in it, despite themselves. Credit to Colorado for applying all the pressure, but St. Louis just looked out of sorts. Colorado kept dinging the post, a total of three times in the first period.

Finally, some Avs hockey again. Tonight, Ball Arena, Game 1, Round 2, St. Louis Blues. All the talking has been done. Time to play some hockey.

That’s where you can make some real money. Time to play some hockey. Finally, some Avs hockey again.

St. Louis drafted Zherenko in the seventh round of the 2019 Entry Draft. The 21-year-old netminder spent the 2021-22 campaign with Ilves of Finland's Liiga, ...

Zherenko is expected to return to Finland for the 2022-23 season. St. Louis drafted Zherenko in the seventh round of the 2019 Entry Draft. The 21-year-old netminder spent the 2021-22 campaign with Ilves of Finland's Liiga, going 11-8-11 while posting a 2.67 GAA and a .902 save percentage.

Minty Bets gives her series picks for the Conference Semifinal round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 2017, the Colorado ...

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The Avalanche begins its Western Conference semifinal playoff series against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at Ball Arena. Colorado coach Jared Bednar ...

- Pavel Francouz - Darcy Kuemper - Devon Toews-Cale Makar

The Colorado Avalanche are massive favorites to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

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You've got the rested Avalanche and the battle-tested Blues. Who wins the second round matchup? Jason Chen takes a look.

The Blues killed off 20 of 24 power plays against the Wild, and the margin for error in that department will be much smaller against a much tougher Avs power play. Betting trend: Binnington’s play may cause some trepidation, but given that the high-scoring trends have continued into the playoffs, better the over should continue to pay off for any games that feature the Avs. The Avs hold a 2-1-0 edge in the season series with a combined average of 7.7 goals per game. Best Path: In the Round 1 preview, I noted the Avs’ best path would be to finish off the Preds quickly and hope the Wild and Blues beat each other into oblivion so the winner limps into the second round. It seems unlikely they’ll do it against the Blues unless they desperately need a goal because the Blues are so deep, and if the Avs stack one line playing Landeskog with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, it leaves their three other lines vulnerable to exploitation. Being able to split up their big three and playing Gabriel Landeskog on the second line is a luxury, and at no point did the Avs ever feel they had to stack one line. It’s a reflection of the parity across the league, where the difference between the first and eight seeds isn’t nearly as big as you’d think, and battles between the divisional foes and even the wild card teams were essentially coin flips.

Josh Manson scored 8:02 into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche overcame a sluggish start to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in Game 1.

O’Reilly has a goal in five straight playoff games, matching the longest playoff goal streak in Blues history. Kyrou scored on the power play to tie the game with 3:14 remaining. It took a few days for the swelling to subside. We have a good team. “They have a good team. “It feels good to get that (win) with your team.”

The wait is finally over for the Colorado Avalanche and, to a lesser extent, the St. Louis Blues, when they open the best-of-7 Western Conference Second ...

"When you manage the game that way and you play well as a team, it shouldn't be an issue." ... Kuemper will start after missing Game 4 of the first round because of an eye injury. The Blues shut out the Wild 4-0 in the opener to take early control of that series. We have to perform at a high level as a team and the individuals have to perform at a high level, especially against their top guys. This battle will be especially important in the second period, when the long change is in effect. "But then again, you still have to go out and perform at a high level, that's the bottom line. ... Cogliano is expected to play after missing three games in the first round because of an upper-body injury. "If they want to go 11/7, our forwards will put pressure on all seven of those 'D,'" Colorado defenseman Devon Toews said. When you are out there, you have to do a good job." The Blues have been off since completing a six-game win against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, a stretch of four days off. He was injured during Game 4 of the first round. Just now looking forward to getting out there and competing."