Colorado and St. Louis Clash in Game 2 on Wednesday

The Colorado Avalanche looks to extend its series lead when facing off against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at Ball Arena in Game 2 of the first round. The Avs picked up a 4-1 victory in Game 1 on Monday.
Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and added an assist, while Gabriel Landeskog completed a "Gordie Howe" hat trick (goal, assist and fight) and registered three points (one goal, two assists). St. Louis netminder Jordan Binnington made a postseason career-high 46 saves on 50 shots, and Jordan Kyrou scored the lone goal for the club.

Colorado outshot the Blues 50-23 in the contest, while going 1-for-3 on the power play and killing off each of its two penalties.
Following the outing, the clubs will head to St. Louis to continue the series at Enterprise Center for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.

Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues

Ball Arena | Denver, Colo.
| Game Time: | 8:30 p.m. MT | | --- | --- | | TV: | Altitude, CNBC, Sportsnet 360, TVA Sports 2, Bally Sports-Midwest (STL) | | Radio: | Altitude Sports Radio, FM 92.5 (KKSE) | | Live Streams: | NHL.tv, 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 the Blues from 2007-2011… Colorado forward Carl Soderberg was drafted in the second round by the Blues in 2004… 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 owns an all-time 6-1 record versus the Blues in the postseason, as the club has won four straight matchups dating back to Game 4 of the 2001 Western Conference Final. In that series, the teams' first meeting in the playoffs, Colorado took Game 1 and went on to win the best-of-seven set in five games.
Nathan MacKinnon (two goals, two assists), Gabriel Landeskog (one goal, three assists) and Mikko Rantanen (two assists) have all recorded at least a point in each of their two postseason contests against the Blues. All three of the players recorded an assist in the first game of the round robin in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers and coupled that with multi-point efforts in Game 1 on Monday. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer sports a 2-0 mark when facing St. Louis in the playoffs, allowing just two goals overall and posting a .964 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average.

ROSTER REPORT

The Avalanche held an optional practice on Tuesday, and head coach Jared Bednar said that the club is moving into Game 2 without any new injuries. Nathan MacKinnon and Brandon Saad returned to the lineup on Monday after missing the end of the season with respective lower-body ailments.

INJURY UPDATE

• Bowen Byram (upper body): Cleared to play, according to Jared Bednar
• Matt Calvert (upper body): Out long term
• Devan Dubnyk (COVID protocol): Taken off of the NHL COVID list and participated in Monday's morning skate and Tuesday's optional practice
• Pavel Francouz (lower body): Expected to return fully healthy next season after having surgery earlier this year
• Erik Johnson (upper body): Could return late in the postseason
• Logan O'Connor (lower body): Out long term after requiring surgery

SCOUTING THE BLUES

St. Louis holds a 182-218 all-time record in the postseason and a 2-8 mark in its last 10 matchups. Jaden Schwartz (26 goals, 28 assists) is the active leader in playoff scoring for the Blues, while Vladimir Tarasenko (33 goals, 16 assists) and David Perron (13 goals, 22 assists) rank second and third on the current roster.
Jordan Kyrou scored his first career postseason goal in Game 1, with assists from Ivan Barbashev and Robert Thomas, who each picked up their first points of the 2021 postseason. Thus far, the Blues have won 53 percent of faceoffs while going 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill (66.7 percent)

(AVS) PLAYER TO WATCH: MIKKO RANTANEN

Mikko Rantanen started the 2021 postseason on a high note by registering two assists in Game 1 on Monday. It was his 14th multi-point outing in the playoffs and his seventh over his last 10 postseason contests. The forward is currently on a career-high 11-game point streak that dates back to Game 3 against the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. He ranks third on the Avs this year in scoring with two points thus far.
Rantanen has tallied 13 goals and 28 assists in 34 postseason matchups, owning the 12th-most points (41) in Avalanche history (since 1995-96). The Nousiainen, Finland, native has averaged 1.21 points per game in his playoff career, which ranks second in team history and third on the franchise's scoring list.

(OPPOSING) PLAYER TO WATCH: JORDAN BINNINGTON

Jordan Binnington was one of the best players for the Blues in Game 1 despite letting in four goals. The netminder faced 50 shots and made a career-high 46 saves, owning the most stops in a single game in the postseason this season.
All time, Binnington has appeared in a total of 32 postseason contests, owning a 16-16 career record, 2.80 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. The 27-year-old was a crucial piece to St. Louis' Stanley Cup run in 2019, posting a 16-10 mark, 2.46 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in those playoffs.

NUMBERS GAME

16

When winning the first game of a best-of-seven sets, the Avalanche has gone on to win 16-of-21 series since moving to Denver in 1995-96.

27

The Avalanche's plus-27 shot differential this postseason tops the NHL. The club outshot St. Louis 50-23 in Game 1, tied for the second-highest shot differential in a single playoff matchup in franchise history.

57

Nathan MacKinnon's 57 postseason points are the eight-most in franchise history, as the forward passed Claude Lemieux (55) and Adam Deadmarsh (56) with his three-point outing (two goals, one assists) in Game 1.

NOTEBOOK

Colorado boasts a 12-4 record in Game 2s of its opening-round series since 1995-96, with a 7-3 mark over its last 10 of such matchups… When hosting the Blues in the postseason, the Avalanche owns a perfect 5-0 record… The Avs' 33.3 power-play percentage is second in the league… Philipp Grubauer ranks second in the NHL in both goals-against average (1.00) and save percentage (.957-tied). Grubauer is set to skate in his 21st postseason contest in an Avalanche sweater on Wednesday, the second-most since the team moved to Denver… Colorado sports a 66-43 record in home playoff games (since 1995-96), averaging 3.08 goals and 2.38 goals against per game in such contests… Gabriel Landeskog became the first Avalanche player to register a "Gordie Howe" hat trick in the postseason since Mike Ricci did so on April 16, 1997 versus the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at McNichols Arena.