GDT #8: Blues @ Avs 8:30 CT TNT, Max, 101ESPN

[theohall]

BLUES The St. Louis Blues are still looking for their offensive rhythm, aiming to bounce back from a 5-0 loss in Vancouver with four days of rest and recovery under their belts.

Beginning the back-to-back set last weekend with a shutout of their own over the Calgary Flames, the Blues were unable to keep pace with the young Canucks as their strong start to the season continues.

"We got outskated and outworked," said Craig Berube. "Getting out of (the first period) 1-0, we gave ourselves a chance going into the second. We never got a big enough response, that's for sure."

The Blues killed off four penalties in the first period alone, with Jordan Binnington stopping 18 out of 19 Vancouver shots to keep the Blues in the game.

With their second four-day break in a two-week span, the Blues hope to be well-rested for a road matchup at Colorado before returning to Enterprise Center for four straight games.

They'll visit the Avalanche - hoping to shake off a pair of shutout losses themselves - with a record of 3-3-1, worth seven points with their .500 points percentage sharing fourth place in the Central Division.

AVALANCHE The Colorado Avalanche started the season red hot, but have taken consecutive shutout losses going into Wednesday's matchup with their Central Division rivals. Looking to avenge their First Round exit to the Seattle Kraken in last season's playoffs, the Avalanche are seeking their second Stanley Cup championship in three years.

Before falling in Pittsburgh and Buffalo (both by 4-0 margins), the Avalanche were 6-0-0 and averaged 4.5 goals and an NHL-leading 37.2 shots per game.

Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen continue to lead the Avs, though captain Gabriel Landeskog continues to battle injury and is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 season.

Weathering this cold stretch will be key for Colorado, hosting the Blues for a one-game stand before visiting the defending champion Golden Knights.

The Avs meet the Blues with a record of 6-2-0, worth 12 points atop the Central Division as of Tuesday afternoon.

HEAD TO HEAD The Blues went 1-2-1 against the Avalanche last season, their win coming at Ball Arena on Nov. 14. The two Central Division foes will rematch quickly on Nov. 11 in Denver, continuing the series in St. Louis on Dec. 29 and March 19.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Pavel Buchnevich, who scored two points in his return from an upper-body injury last week in Winnipeg. Buchnevich was the only Blue to average more than one point per game last season, recording 67 points in 63 games played.

AVALANCHE Mikko Rantanen, leading the Avalanche in scoring so far with 12 points in eight games. Rantanen's 209 points since the start of the 2021-22 season rank No. 4 in the NHL, including nine in five games against the Blues in that span.

BLUE NOTES
Fans can stream nationally-broadcasted TNT NHL games on Max with the Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports Add-On, free to all Max subscribers through Feb. 29, 2024

The Blues are 4-4-1 in their last nine regular-season games against the Avs, including 2-2-0 at Ball Arena. They have scored a power-play goal in four straight against Colorado, going 4-for-10 (40 percent) on the power play in that span.

After Wednesday's matchup in Denver, the Blues will play four games in a row - and five of their next six - at Enterprise Center.

The Blues have killed 11 consecutive penalties heading into Wednesday's matchup, currently the only team in the NHL to not allow a single power-play goal since Oct. 21.

[WaukeeBlues]

Continuing our proud 2022 tradition of "win-loss-win-loss" I predict the Blues will win tonight.

Blues 3
Avs 2

[glen a richter]

I predict that sometime before the end of the night we'll realize we forgot to do player sponsorships.

I'm taking future HOFer Joel Hofer.

Also:

Blues 2 - Kyrou (2)
Avs 1
OT

[flyingnote38]

I'll sponsor Faulk

[Portland Blues]

Only down 2-0 after 1. Yay?

[Portland Blues]

Yikes - tearing the Blues D to shreds during the intermission.

[Portland Blues]

Nice shot by Thomas.

[Portland Blues]

Tucker is not having the most defensively impressive night tonight.

[Portland Blues]

Oof.

[glen a richter]

The guys can't hang with the best of them, still. I'm envisioning another top 10 pick which isn't the worst thing in the world.

If they keep wallowing in mediocrity or worse you have to assume Berube's seat will be getting hotter and hotter. Just seems like in this era of the NHL they should be scoring far more, at the very least.

[theohall]

NHL radio today compiled a list of teams who've scored less goals than the Blues this season:

San Jose Sharks (the end)


oof

Yet with the way they are defending, they aren't a high lottery pick team. Just not enough scoring, even though Thomas is playing the best I've seen him play. Kyrou? Not so much. Kyrou seems like he wants to make a fancy play all the damn time, instead of playing a straightforward game. Yet Kyrou is the one who should be scoring goals.