NHL Recap: St. Louis Blues edge past Colorado Avalanche, 3-1
Andy McDonald netted a goal and assisted twice to carry the St. Louis Blues to a 3-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche, at Scottrade Centre on Tuesday night.
Kevin Shattenkirk and David Backes each also hit the net for St Louis, which has won five of its previous seven games they have played. The Blues also halted their seven-game losing streak by beating the Avalanche for the first time in two years.
St. Louis’s goal-tender, Jaroslav Halak, was strong between the pipes, turning away 26 shots in the winning effort.
Kevin Porter found the back of the net for the Avalance, which has dropped six of seven games played and 16 of its previous 19 play-offs. The Blues were out-scored by 35-17 during the previous seven-game run with them. The goal-tender, Peter
Budaj, allowed two goals on 28 shots, while losing for the first time in six games against St Louis.
St Louis got the scoring started with five minutes left in the opening stanza. Shattenkirk set-up the goal for the Blues when he ripped a shot from the blue line and Backes, who was positioned in front of the net, redirected it home. The right-winger,
Backes, gave his team-high 30th goal and fourth in his previous six games.
Colorado’s Porter pulled the game even at 1-1 just two minutes later with his 14th goal of the season. However, the net-minder, Halak, made 16 saves after this goal and stopped three key shots in the waning moments of
the period.
However, Shattenkirk put the Blues on top, 2-1, again on a 5-on-3 power-play nearly four minutes into the middle session. He fired a shot from the bottom of the left circle for his ninth goal of the season.
“He has been a welcome addition to the back line. He's got a lot of confidence with the puck," the Blues' coach, Davis Payne, said about Shattenkirk, who has two goals and 14 assists with St Louis. "He has the ability to take that extra step,
to create that extra lane. With a guy like that, he's always got his head up shooting."
St. Louis’s McDonald accounted for the final goal, 3-1, with an empty netter with 40 seconds left in the final frame.
"It was a spirited game for two teams that aren't going to the playoffs." said Colorado head coach, Joe Sacco. "There was still a lot of intensity and a fun game to be part of, even on the losing side."
Colorado’s Milan Hejduk had an opportunity to score late in the final stanza, but he failed to take advantage.
The Avalanche gave in their best despite being gifted with some chance. However, they just couldn’t net the puck against the Blues.
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