Toews made it 2-1 on a slap shot from the left point that deflected off St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk after a Colorado faceoff win.
Nathan MacKinnon's point streak ended at 19 games, one short of tying Paul Stastny for best in Avalanche history.
Ryan Johansen had a goal and an assist, and Alexandar Georgiev made 30 saves for the Avalanche (22-11-3), who extended their point streak to four games (3-0-1).
Robert Thomas scored, and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for the Blues (18-16-1), who had their three-game winning streak end.
Johansen gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 15:11 on a rebound from the slot, but Thomas tied it 1-1 for the Blues with their NHL-tying ninth shorthanded goal at 16:29 on a breakaway after a MacKinnon blind backhand giveaway.
Thomas tied it 1-1 at 16:31, deking to his backhand on a short-handed breakaway after intercepting a pass by MacKinnon at the St. Louis blue line. The short-handed goal was the ninth for the Blues this season, tied for most in the NHL.
