Rapid Recap: Blues 5, Avalanche 3

The Colorado Avalanche scored twice in the third period to battle back in the game but fell 5-3 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday at Ball Arena.
Andre Burakovsky netted the Avs first goal after Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn and David Perron had scored for the Blues. Perron added his second of the night to make it 4-1 in the third period.
Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher scored in the final six minutes of the third frame to cut Colorado's deficit to 4-3 before Ryan O'Reilly scored into an empty net.

The Avs and Blues will meet again in St. Louis on Oct. 28. The clubs will meet for a total of three times this year.
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Highlights

THE GOALS

1st Period
4:12 STL (0-1) - Justin Faulk scored stick side from the high slot.
2nd Period
8:35 STL (0-2) - Brayden Schenn scored with a wrist shot on a rush up ice.
11:37 STL (0-3) - David Perron scored from the top of the right circle.
14:09 COL (1-3) - Andre Burakovsky one-timed the puck into the net after a cross-ice feed from Nazem Kadri.
3rd Period
6:51 STL (1-4) - PPG, Ivan Barbashev found David Perron opeen in the rightt circle and he scored on the power play.
14:36 COL (2-4) - After a few quick passes, J.T. Compher's shot bounced off of Tyson Jost and into the net while Darcy Kuemper was pulled for an extra attacker.
16:18 COL (3-4) - Nazem Kadri's shot trickled to J.T. Compher who scored into an open part of the net in a six-on-five situation.
19:40 STL (3-5) - ENG, Ryan O'Reilly scored into an empty net.
Final: Blues - 5 | Avalanche - 3

POWER PLAYS

Colorado: 0 for 3
St. Louis: 1 for 2

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Colorado: Darcy Kuemper stopped 23-of-27 shots.
St. Louis: Jordan Binnington made 29-of-32 saves.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

The Avalanche organization honored the late Pierre Lacroix prior to the contest. Lacroix, Colorado's former general manager and team president, was the architect of the Avalanche's two Stanley Cup championships, which included the city of Denver's first major sports championship in 1996. He passed away on Dec. 13, 2020.
During Lacroix's time as general manager, the Avs won a league-record nine straight division championships, made six appearances in the Western Conference Final, captured two Presidents' Trophies and strung together the longest-recorded home sellout streak in NHL history at 487 consecutive games.

NOTEBOOK

Tyson Jost, J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky each scored his first goal of the season… Samuel Girard assisted on the tally to record his 100th career NHL assist. All but two of his helpers have come in an Avalanche sweater... Nazem Kadri also collected two helpers and now has four points (one goal, three assists) this year… It appeared Tyson Jost scored to tie the game at 4-4 at 17:11 of the third period but it was determined there was a kicking motion after video review and it did not count...Kurtis MacDermid, Stefan Matteau and Dylan Sikura each played in their first game of the year and first contests in an Avalanche sweater.

BIG HIGHLIGHT

ROSTER REPORT

Colorado used 11 forwards and six defensemen in the outing with Andre Burakovsky, Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen combining for the top line. Dylan Sikura played his first game of the season on a trio with J.T. Compher and Sampo Ranta while Darren Helm, Tyson Jost and Logan O'Connor skated together. Jayson Megna and Stefan Matteau were the other two forwards. Kurtis MacDermid slotted into Jack Johnson's previous spot on defense.

INJURY UPDATE

Stefan Matteau left the game with a lower-body injury. Head coach Jared Bednar returned to his spot behind the bench for the contest after missing opening night in COVID protocol. Valeri Nichushkin is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Center Nathan MacKinnon has been in COVID-19 protocol since Tuesday and defenseman Jack Johnson entered protocol before the game. Goaltender Pavel Francouz is out three-to-four weeks after suffering a lower-body injury in a preseason game on Oct. 5 versus the Vegas Golden Knights. Blueliner Devon Toews (upper body) remains a non-contact participant at practice and may go on Colorado's upcoming three-game road trip.

UP NEXT

Colorado hits the road for its first trip of the season and first journey to the East Coast since 2019-20. The Avs play at the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Florida Panthers on Thursday and Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 23.

LINE COMBINATIONS

Based on the start of the game
Forwards
95 Andre Burakovsky - 91 Nazem Kadri - 96 Mikko Rantanen
9 Dylan Sikura - 37 J.T. Comher - 75 Sampo Ranta
43 Darren Helm - 17 Tyson Jost - 25 Logan O'Connor
12 Jayson Megna - 22 Stefan Matteau
Defensemen
49 Samuel Girard - 8 Cale Makar
4 Bowen Byram - 6 Erik Johnson
56 Kurtis MacDermid - 28 Ryan Murray
Goaltenders
35 Darcy Kuemper
31 Jonas Johansson