Avalanche Hosts Blues on Military Appreciation Night

The Colorado Avalanche finishes its six-game homestand on Saturday when it hosts the St. Louis Blues in the second half of a back-to-back set between the clubs.
The Avs (24-8-4) earned their third straight victory with a 3-2 win over the Blues on Friday, extending their point streak to a league-best 13 games. Colorado converted on the power play twice as Brandon Saad and Nathan MacKinnon both found the back of the net. MacKinnon added another goal for his first multi-goal performance and second game-winning marker of the season, while Gabriel Landeskog finished with two assists for his sixth multi-point night in the last nine matchups. Goaltender Jonas Johansson collected his first win in an Avalanche sweater, stopping 25-of-27 shots.

St. Louis (16-14-6) fell in its fifth consecutive contest (0-4-1) as David Perron picked up a goal and an assist for his 10th multi-point outing of the year and Mike Hoffman tucked his ninth tally this campaign. Vladimir Tarasenko and Torey Krug also found the scoresheet with an assist each. Netminder Jordan Binnington made 36 saves in his fifth straight start.
The Avalanche will be celebrating its annual Military Appreciation Night throughout the game.

Avalanche vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES

Ball Arena | Denver, Colo.
| Game Time: | 7:00 p.m. | | --- | --- | | TV: | Altitude, Bally Sports-Midwest (STL) | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | AltitudeNow.com, Official app, blackouts apply to all) | | Online Audio: | Listen Live Here | | Follow: | @Avalanche, Official app, Gamecenter |

COLORADO-ST. LOUIS CONNECTIONS

Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson was drafted No. 1 overall by St. Louis and played for Blues from 2007-2011… Avs assistant coach Ray Bennett spent 10 seasons on the Blues' coaching staff (2007-2017)… Jared Bednar was the head coach of St. Louis' then-American Hockey League affiliate in Peoria for two seasons (2010-2012)... Blues center Ryan O'Reilly was the Avs' second-round selection (No. 33 overall) in 2009 and began his career in Colorado… St. Louis forward Jaden Schwartz played two seasons at Colorado College (2010-2012) and teammate Tyler Bozak skated at the University of Denver for two years (2007-2009)… Blues assistant coach Jim Montgomery spent five seasons as the University of Denver head coach (2013-2018).

HISTORY

The Avalanche boasts an all-time 51-39-13 record versus St. Louis (since 1995-96), with a 4-9-2 mark when facing the Blues in the second half of a back-to-back set in its history. The Avs have hosted St. Louis when playing on the second consecutive night three times in franchise history, owning a 0-2-1 mark in such matchups. Overall, Colorado sports a 32-15-7 record on home ice since moving to Denver and has won two straight games against St. Louis.
Saturday's meeting is the final matchup between the clubs at Ball Arena this year. The squads will square off four more times this season, with all of the remaining contests being played at Enterprise Center. The Avs will visit the Blues for a one-game set on April 14 in their next matchup after Saturday.
Nathan MacKinnon ranks third on Colorado's all-time scoring list against St. Louis with 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 32 games, while Gabriel Landeskog slots in at seventh, registering six goals and 18 assists in 41 contests.

ROSTER REPORT

Liam O'Brien made his Avalanche debut on Friday in place of Logan O'Connor, who was out with a lower-body injury. Kiefer Sherwood replaced Valeri Nichushkin on Friday due to Nichushkin missing the contest with an upper-body ailment. Netminder Philipp Grubauer is expected to get the start in net after Jonas Johansson was in between the pipes on Friday.

INJURY UPDATE

Head coach Jared Bednar said on Friday that Logan O'Connor (lower body) will be out "weeks" and Valeri Nichushkin (upper body) is day-to-day. Bowen Byram (upper body) will be unavailable for Saturday, but he did skate on Friday and is making progress, according to Bednar. Matt Calvert is out week-to-week with an upper-body ailment. Pavel Francouz (lower body) and Erik Johnson (upper body) are both out long term with injuries.

SCOUTING THE BLUES

The Blues hold onto the fifth spot in the West Division with 38 points (16-14-6), including a 4-4-2 mark in its last 10 outings on the road. David Perron (13 goals, 23 assists), Ryan O'Reilly (12 goals, 21 assists) and Brayden Schenn (12 goals, 13 assists) have led the way offensively for the club in 2020-21. Against the Avs, St. Louis owns a 1-2-0 record this year, converting on the power play at a 9.1-percent clip and killing 52.9 percent of its penalties.
Saturday's game concludes the Blues' eighth back-to-back set of the season. In the second game of such sets, the club currently owns a 3-3-1 record, averaging 3.14 goals per game and allowing 3.71 notches per contest.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: RYAN O'REILLY

The 2018-19 Frank J. Selke Trophy winner as the league's best defensive forward and Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs has tallied 12 goals and 21 assists in 36 games this year to rank second on the club in goals, assists and points (33). O'Reilly leads the club with a plus-13 rating and owns the second-most points on the power play, notching three goals and four assists on the man advantage.
O'Reilly is in his first campaign as the captain of the Blues and third season with the organization. Since joining the squad in 2018-19, the veteran has registered 171 points (52 goals, 119 assists), leading the team in points, assists and plus-minus rating (plus-46), while recording the third-most goals in that span.
In 17 all-time meetings with the Avalanche, O'Reilly has averaged more than a point per game (1.06) with two markers and 16 helpers but has not found the scoresheet versus the club this year.

NUMBERS GAME

5:00

Colorado has scored a goal less than five minutes into the first period in four consecutive games, including Brandon Saad's power-play tally at the 3:24 mark of the first period on Friday. Out of the last 10 contests, the club has notched a goal within five minutes of the game six times.

20

Brandon Saad became the 10th player on the Avs to reach the 20-point mark this season with a goal on Friday. Colorado has the most 20-point skaters in the league.

38

The Avalanche's 38 markers in the first period this season rank tied for second in the league. The club has scored at least a goal in the first period in four straight matchups and in nine out of the last 10 contests.

NOTEBOOK

The Avs have points in 13 straight games (11-0-2) for just the third time team history and own the longest point streak in the NHL this season. In back-to-back sets this year, Colorado holds a 5-1-0 mark in the first matchup and 2-0-3 record in the second half of such sets… The Avalanche has tallied two power-play markers in two consecutive contests for the second time this year and has found the back of the net on the man advantage in eight of the last 10 contests… Gabriel Landeskog is currently on a three-game point streak (three goals, three assists) and has registered at least a point in 10 of his last 11 games, compiling seven goals and 12 assists over the stretch… When outshooting opponents this season, the Avalanche sports a 21-6-2 mark, the most wins in the league when putting more pucks on net… The Avs and Blues will face off at Ball Arena for the sixth consecutive regular-season matchup, dating back to Jan. 2, 2020. Colorado owns a 4-1-0 record in that span… Jacob MacDonald has points in consecutive games for the first time in his career.