Avalanche halt seven-game skid with shootout win
DENVER -- Calvin Pickard had 27 saves through overtime and two in the shootout as the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Friday night.
J.T. Compher scored in regulation and Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon had shootout goals to help the Avalanche (21-53-3) end a seven-game losing streak.
Jake Allen stopped 31 shots and Ryan Reaves had a goal the Blues, who clinched a playoff spot despite the loss.
St. Louis (42-28-7) has 91 points and sits third in the Central Division with a key matchup against Nashville on Sunday. The idle Predators trail the Blues by two points and currently hold the second wild-card spot.
Duchene scored on Colorado's first attempt in the shootout and MacKinnon clinched it on the third attempt. Pickard made saves on Alex Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Reaves gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead when he tipped in a shot by Scottie Upshall at 12:29 of the first period.
Compher capitalized on MacKinnon's hard work to tie it with a power-play goal midway through the second period.
MacKinnon stick-handled through three St. Louis players and put a low shot on Allen. The rebound went to Compher alone on the left side, and he knocked the puck into the open net for his third of the season.
Avalanche rookie Tyson Jost made his NHL debut with his mom and grandfather in attendance. He got on the ice for his first shift at 2:07 of the first period and finished the night with two shots in 13:25 of ice time. He nearly scored on a shot from the left circle early in the third, but Allen was able to get a glove on it.
Later, he was stopped in the shootout by Allen.
NOTES: St. Louis D Robert Bortuzzo left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. ... Avalanche C Tyson Jost is the fourth Avalanche to make his NHL debut this season. G Jeremy Smith, C J.T. Compher and D Anton Lindholm also played their first games this year. ... The Blues have outscored their opponents 42-21 in the last 14 games. ... Colorado C John Mitchell was scratched to make room for Jost in the lineup.