Avalanche at Blues
The season may be less than a quarter of the way through, but Thursday night's showdown between the Colorado Avalanche and the host St. Louis Blues can still be described as a marquee matchup. The Blues come into the game with a share of the fewest regulation losses in the NHL, though they're coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. The Avalanche have been even more impressive, opening the campaign with wins in 14 of their first 17 games.
The meeting between Western Conference powers is especially pivotal to the Blues, who have been strong in close games but may meet their match against the Avalanche. St. Louis is 6-0-3 in one-goal contests this season, with each of its previous three victories coming by a goal. Colorado hasn't played many one-goal games - second-fewest in the league, to be precise - but has been impressive in them nonetheless, boasting a 5-1-0 mark.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, RDS, ALT (Columbus), FSMW (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (14-3-0): The early returns on first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon have been positive. The 18-year-old has two goals and a team-leading nine assists over his first 17 games, and coach Patrick Roy is eager to use the versatile forward in a variety of ways. "This year, we want to build his foundation," Roy told the Denver Post earlier this week. "We want him to learn how to play without the puck. We want him to play with confidence. We're going to try him in different situations."
ABOUT THE BLUES (11-2-3): The loss of defensive stalwart
Jordan Leopold would be looked at as a major development to most NHL
teams. The Blues won't be the same after losing Leopold for two months
with tendon damage in his right hand, but Ian Cole has emerged as a
viable replacement after a strong showing over 13:43 of ice time in a recent 2-1
victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. "He's a good player," coach
Ken Hitchcock said. "He's really helped himself here by
his attitude and everything. I don't see us missing a beat."
OVERTIME
1. The teams have split their last eight meetings, with the home team prevailing each time.
2. Avalanche D Erik Johnson, who was taken first overall by St. Louis in 2006, has two goals in five career games against his former team.
3. Colorado (30) and St. Louis (37) have allowed the fewest goals in the conference.