The Colorado Avalanche enter tonight’s matchup against the St. Louis Blues riding momentum from an impressive season-opening victory. Colorado defeated the Los Angeles Kings 8-4 on Wednesday, with the team’s power play particularly effective—seven skaters collected points on the man advantage, including Brock Nelson with three power-play points and Artturi Lehkonen with two power-play goals.
Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood recorded the win, stopping 27 of 31 shots, though he gave up two shorthanded goals to Los Angeles in the second period. According to head coach Jared Bednar, the team aims to improve quickly on both sides of the puck. “We want to get to a high level of play on both sides of the puck as fast as we can,” Bednar said. “I think the teams that do that the quickest are going to set themselves up for success here early in the season.”
Colorado holds a recent edge in the series, winning two of three games against St. Louis last season, with their most recent victory coming April 7.
The Blues enter tonight undefeated after defeating Dallas 4-0 on Friday. Mason McTavish, acquired by St. Louis in the offseason from Anaheim, scored the game-winner just over 90 seconds into the contest. Joel Hofer recorded a shutout, stopping all 24 shots faced. Head coach Jim Montgomery praised Hofer’s performance, calling him “the best penalty killer” in that game and suggesting he is “a goalie that’s blossoming into a potential top-ten goalie in the League.”
Montgomery was also complimentary of young defenseman Adam Jiříček, saying he “looked like he’s been in the League for three years.” The team made several acquisitions during the offseason, including defenseman Brandon Carlo from Toronto and left wing Connor McMichael from Washington.
Tonight’s game marks the first Central Division head-to-head matchup of the season, with game time set for 7:00 p.m. MDT. The contest will be broadcast on ALT, STLNHL, ESPN+, and other regional outlets.
Key facts
- Colorado defeated Los Angeles 8-4 in its season opener, with seven skaters recording power-play points
- Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves in the Avalanche victory but allowed two shorthanded goals
- St. Louis defeated Dallas 4-0 on Friday with Joel Hofer recording a shutout
- Mason McTavish scored the game-winner for St. Louis just over 90 seconds into the Dallas game
- Colorado won two of three matchups against St. Louis last season
- This is the first Central Division head-to-head matchup of the season