Morning Skate Report: Avs Ready To Respond

ST. LOUIS--The St. Louis Blues are known for playing a more physical brand of hockey, and that much was evident in the first meeting of the season with the Colorado Avalanche.
In that Nov. 30 matchup at Pepsi Center, there were a combined 35 hits and 39 penalty minutes recorded and plenty of other extracurricular activities following whistles that didn't make the game sheet.

"Last game was a little bit intense, very physical, but you typically expect that from St. Louis. They play a heavy game," said forward Colin Wilson. "It got a little more chippy there at the end. That is the way they play. We stick to our game and try not to get into it too much."
That was the first contest of the season where the Avalanche faced that kind of rough play between action, but the club had the necessary answer to match what the Blues were putting out. The Colorado players didn't back down and stood up for one another in an outing that ended with a 3-2 loss in overtime.
Head coach Jared Bednar is looking for another response from the Avs this evening at Enterprise Center as they try to nip their current two-game losing streak.
"I thought we did a pretty good job of that last time," Bednar said of the physical play versus the Blues. "That is part of their identity. They got a workmen-like group, they play a physical style, in your face, in front of the net and whatnot. It just can't deter you from getting there… We want to make sure that we get to the net tonight. Having an attack mentality, making sure we're shooting the puck and putting some pressure on their goaltending."

In reviewing the video from that last meeting, another thing Bednar noticed was the Blues' success at making it difficult for the Avs to have clean breakouts.
Colorado was hemmed in its zone for too long at times, which led to more chances for St. Louis. It showed in the end as the Blues had a 37-29 edge in shots on goal and a 67-51 advantage in attempts.
"They gave us trouble with their forecheck last time," Bednar said. "We got to make sure we're getting in and out of our zone a little cleaner than what we did early in the game [last time] against St. Louis."
The focus for the Avalanche tonight is finding its game early and sticking with it. The team aims to have its play dictate the pace and not get too involved in skirmishes after the play is blown dead.
"Sometimes the emotions get the best of you after scrums or whatever like that," said defenseman Erik Johnson. "That is always part of the game. We're a fast, skilled team, and that is when we're at our best. I think when we're playing our game on top of that, we're tough to handle."
But if there are any physical disputes, the Avs will be ready.
"We got some big guys on the team that can take care of themselves," Wilson said. "We still have to stick to our game no matter what is going on. Not not be physical, but stay out of the stuff after the whistle. We'll see if they give us the option of that."

BIRTHDAY BOY

Forward A.J. Greer is celebrating his birthday in St. Louis with the Avalanche.
Greer, who turned 22 years old today, will skate in his third NHL contest of the season this evening. He will be on a line with Colin Wilson and Gabriel Bourque, the same combination that started Tuesday's outing against the Edmonton Oilers.
"I thought he did a nice job," said Bednar of Greer's play last game. "He was physical, he was on pucks, he made all the right decisions with the puck. He gives us a big body and a heavy presence and if he can get to the net tonight that would be nice."
The Joliette, Quebec, native has played in 24 career NHL outings with Colorado since being picked by the club in the second round of the 2015 draft. Prior to his call-up on Monday, Greer was second in scoring on the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 20 games.

VIEW: Avalanche at Blues Projected Lineup

MIKKO MILESTONES

Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen recorded one goal and three assists in the team's loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. It was the third time this season that he had registered four points in a game.
His performance put him over the half-century mark, and he continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 52 points (13 goals and 39 assists) after 31 games. Here are some of things he's accomplished and where he stands presently:
- Rantanen joined Peter Forsberg (1997-98) as the only players in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history to be the first NHL player to reach 50 points in a season. Rantanen was also the first player in the league to both the 30 and 40-point marks this year. - The 22-year-old is the second player in Avalanche history (since 1995-96) to reach 50 points in 31 or fewer team games. Forsberg did it in his 29th game during the 1995-96 campaign. - This is the first time in NHL history that a Finnish-born player was the first to 50 points. - Rantanen has held at least a share of the NHL scoring lead for each of the last 53 days since the morning of Oct. 23. He's been the outright leader for 47 of those 53 days, including the last 29. - He is on a career-high 12-game point streak (six goals, 17 assists), tied with Alex Ovechkin for the longest active streak in the NHL. Only one player has had a longer streak this season: Florida's Mike Hoffman, who had a point in 17 straight games from Oct. 13-Nov. 21.