St. Louis Blues (15-17-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (29-2-7)
7 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: Altitude, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)
The Avalanche concludes the 2025 calendar year with a Central Division matchup against the St. Louis Blues on New Year’s Eve. This is the first of three regular-season matchups between the teams, as they’ll in Denver on April 5th and in St. Louis on April 7th.
Latest Result (COL): LAK 2, COL 5
Latest Result (STL): BUF 4, STL 2
Defended Home Ice
The Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 at Ball Arena on Monday to extend the team’s home win streak to 14 games. Jack Drury, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each scored a goal for the Avs, while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced. At 9:24 of the first period, Drury opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season via a wrist shot from the high slot. The Kings tied the game with a power-play goal from Corey Perry at 5:15 of the second period via a redirection from the right doorstep. Necas gave the Avs a 2-1 lead at 13:21 of the middle frame with his 19th goal of the season when he cleaned up a loose puck in the crease via a backhand shot. Colorado doubled its lead at 17:30 of the second period when Nelson scored his 15th goal of the season via a right-circle wrist shot off the rush. Joel Armia made it 3-2 with a shorthanded goal at 4:58 of the third period via a shot from the high slot. MacKinnon gave the Avs a 4-2 lead at 18:23 of the third period with his 32nd goal of the season via an empty-net tally from center ice. At 19:15 of the third period, Makar made it 5-2 with his 12th goal of the season via a shot from the bottom of the right circle and cleaned up a rebound created by Valeri Nichushkin’s left-circle one-timer. With the victory, Colorado extended its win streak to eight games.
Leading the Way
Nate the Great
MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (32) while ranking second in points (66) and fifth in assists (34).
All Hail Cale
Makar leads NHL defensemen in points (44) and is second in assists (32) while ranking third in goals by blueliners (12). Among all NHL skaters, he’s tied for seventh in assists.
Marty Party
Necas is sixth in the NHL in points (50) and tied for ninth in assists (31).
Series History
In 123 previous regular-season games against the Blues, the Avalanche has a record of 63-47-6-7. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 2001 Western Conference Final in five games, the 2021 First Round in four games and the 2022 Second Round in six games. Additionally, the Avalanche defeated the Blues 2-1 in a 2020 Western Conference Round Robin game.
Loss in St. Louis
The Blues lost 4-2 to the Buffalo Sabres at Enterprise Center on Monday. In the first period, Buffalo’s Noah Ostlund opened the scoring at 2:19 before the Blues took a 2-1 lead after goals from Brayden Schenn at 5:08 and Jimmy Snuggerud at 8:09. In the second period, Buffalo’s Alex Tuch tied the game at 15:17. In the final frame of regulation, Zach Benson gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead at 1:46 and Peyton Krebs made it 4-2 at 18:44.
Scoring Against St. Louis
MacKinnon has posted 53 points (19g/34a) in 50 regular-season games against St. Louis, in addition to 17 points (9g/8a) in 11 playoff contests.
In 10 regular-season contests against the Blues, Necas has recorded nine points (5g/4a).
Makar has registered 28 points (6g/22a) in 26 regular-season games against St. Louis, in addition to six points (1g/5a) in 11 playoff contests.
St. Louis’ Scorers
Robert Thomas leads the Blues in points (29) and assists (20) while ranking third in goals (9).
Justin Faulk is tied for the team lead in goals (10) and is third in points (20).
Jake Neighbours is tied for first on the Blues in goals (10) and is tied for fourth in points (17).
A Numbers Game
399
MacKinnon enters Wednesday’s game with 399 goals.
57
The Avalanche's 57 five-on-five goals at home lead the NHL.
120
Colorado’s 120 points from defensemen this season are the most in the NHL.
Quote That Left a Mark
“That's how you win. Like they say, ‘defense wins championships,’ right? Because it doesn’t matter how much you score during the regular season, or how potent of an offense you have, when everyone is checking their hardest and everyone’s details are as tight as they can be come playoff time, yours have to be there, right? And every mistake you make is magnified in a playoff series. So we’re trying to play with those habits right from the get-go. And I think if you’re looking at the 38-game span, it’s been really good. They’ve been committed. They’ve been detailed. They’ve been competitive. And I think there’s a good understanding in our room that it’s helping us win hockey games.”
-- Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar on the team’s defensive play
