Blues Survive Avalanche, Win 3-1

Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues - Game 51 Recap
Goals: Stastny (11), Schenn (21) and Steen (10)
Record 30-18-3

My thoughts on the game

• Colorado rolled into St. Louis as one of, if not the hottest team in the NHL. They were 14-4-1 since Dec 10, and 10-1-0 in their past 11 games including a 10 game winning streak. They were averaging 3.3 goals per game on the season, good for 4th in the league.
• They sat in 5th place in the Central Division, just 4 points behind the Blues and with 3 games in hand. Even a win for the Blues in overtime would have allowed the Avalanche to inch another point closer in the race for a playoff spot.
• Leading the way for Colorado has been the line of Mackinnon (60 pts - 2nd in the NHL), Rantanen (47 pts) and Landeskog (36 pts). St. Louis would need to contain them if they were to win this game.
• The Blues welcomed back Jaden Schwartz after he missed 20 games with a broken bone in his foot or ankle. They were 20-8-2 with him and 9-10-1 without him. They averaged 3.3 goals per game with him and only 2.15 without him. The power play was 17.3% with him and a measly 11.1% without him. Was he missed? That's a stupid question. Would he make a difference after being off for so long? That's another stupid question.
• The first period was all St. Louis. They outshot Colorado 17-8 in the period as the Avalanche only had 3 shots on goal in the first 14 minutes. 
• The Blues struck first, and believe it or not, it came on the power play.  The power play groups were a little different tonight. Unit #1 was Schwartz, Schenn, Steen, Tarasenko and Dunn. Unit #2 was Pietrangelo, Parayko, Thompson, Berglund and Stastny. The goal was scored by the 2nd unit when Pietrangelo's shot from out on top fell to the right of the goal where Stastny was hanging out. The goalie was out of the net far enough and Stastny calmly poked it into the net for his 11th goal of the year. 
• Colorado came out a lot more aggressive in the 2nd period but the St. Louis defense held serve. At the 10:17 mark the Blues got another power play and scored 1 minute and 11 seconds later. It was Schenn this time for his 21st of the season. He beat goalie Jonathan Bernier short side just over his glove. Alexander Steen was in front of the net and helped take away Bernier's eyes for a split second.
• It was great to see Schwartz back on the ice. He was all over the place, battling for the puck just like he did early in the season, falling down, getting back up and not ever loafing. When he needed to skate hard to catch a guy or get to some open ice, he was putting in the extra effort and got the job done. I'm sure he's still a little out of shape, but he certainly didn't hurt the team.
• Colorado managed to get a goal with about 3 minutes left in the 2nd. They certainly turned up the heat in this period and outshot the Blues 15-9 in the period.
• The third period was back and forth for a while with both teams having some scoring chances, but mostly it was Colorado on the offensive and the Blues on their heels. Hutton made some good saves as the Avalanche played with some desperation as the clock ticked down.
• Colorado tried to pull their goalie with a couple of minutes left but lost control of the puck and he had to scramble back in net as St. Louis attacked with a 2 on 1 breakaway. Sobotka held the puck until the last possible minute and made a perfect pass over the stick of the sliding defenseman to Alexander Steen. Steen put it home to make it 3-1. It was his 4th goal in the last 5 games and his 173rd goal as a Blue. It moved him 1 ahead of the great Red Berenson for 5th on the Blues all-time list. 
• Coach Mike Yeo countered the high-powered first line of Colorado with his own high-powered line of Schenn, Schwartz and Steen all night. They did a great job of shutting them down. Mackinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog only had 9 shots on the night and were a combined -3 in the +/-. 
• With the return of Jaden Schwartz, something had to give, someone had to go and so Magnus Paajarvi was placed on waivers. Other teams have 24 hours to claim him and take on his contract. If no other team claims him, he could be assigned to a minor league team. 
• The All-Star Break is this weekend. Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn will represent the Blues. It is the first appearance for each of these players. Best of luck boys!

#AllTogetherNowStL #LGB