St. Louis and Colorado meet up for the first time this season as the two Western Conference rivals fight for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Blues are coming off of a stretch of winning three of their last four games, while Colorado has been struggling offensively all season.
With Ryan O' Reilly still sitting out the season due to contract disputes, Colorado is struggling to put together a winning season. The team is coming off an offensive explosion in their win against Nashville on Monday where they knocked in six goals. The increased offense is a good sign for a team with scoring struggles. Matt Duchene has scored in four straight games, along with putting out four assists in the past two games. The Avalanche are having goalie issues with Jean-Sebastien Giguere on a personal leave of absence. Semyon Varlamov is just 1-3-1 with a 3.77 goals-against average, but that might be enough against St. Louis.
St. Louis has had trouble winning at home this season, but have excelled on the road winning their last six of eight road games. Patrick Berglund is on a hot streak, scoring four straight games and netting a team-best nine goals total. The Blues do have Jaroslav Halak back in the net after he missed the last seven games with a groin injury, which could prove difficult for Colorado to get past. In his last two starts against Colorado, Halak is 3-0-0 with a 2.10 goals-against average and two shutouts.
Both teams are 4-5-1 in their past ten games. Colorado is in desperate need of a win as they rank 13th in the Western Conference division. St. Louis is tied in points with San Jose, but currently has a playoff position locked down.
