Mile High Sticking
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Colorado Avalanche Will Show Their Mettle in St. Louis

By Nadia Archuleta

ST. LOUIS, MO. - APRIL 09: Colorado players celebrate a second goal in the second period during an NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues on April 09, 2017, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Blues won, 3-2. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO. - APRIL 09: Colorado players celebrate a second goal in the second period during an NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues on April 09, 2017, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. The Blues won, 3-2. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche will face the Blues in St. Louis tonight for the final game of their three-game roadie. So far they’re 1-1-0 on the trip.

The Colorado Avalanche are facing the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues tonight in the Scottrade Center. Colorado is coming off a 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Belle Centre, which halted their winning streak at 10.

The Blues shut out the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. They’ve won three of their last four games.

The Avs and Blues have played a lot through the years, with the Avs having a 49-34-4-6(ties) record against St. Louis. The two teams met once this year already, on October 19, a 4-3 decision for the Blues. Alexander Kerfoot had a two-goal night, while Blake Comeau also scored.

How to Enjoy the Game

Game time: January 25, 6 pm MT
TV Networks: Altitude 2 (Avs feed), FS-MW (Blues feed)
Radio: Altitude Radio (AM 950)

The game is Star Wars Night at Scottrade Center. It will also apparently be a 95-year-old Blues fan, Mary Walkenhorst’s, first St. Louis game. I’m not sure why she hasn’t attended a game since the team started playing in 1967, but she hopes the Blues “knock [the Avs] down.”

Well, Mary, you’ve been watching the Blues for 51 years, and they’ve never won a Stanley Cup. No offense, but you’re probably pretty used to disappointment. And we got our own mojo going on here.

Reaction to Streak Ending

More from Mile High Sticking

As analyst Kyle Keefe put it after the Montreal game, the streak had to end since there was no way the Avalanche were winning the next 40 games. And as I noted in a previous post, the Colorado Avalanche have a lot to be proud of.

Well, this is going to be the real test for Colorado. How will the Avs react to the loss which ended their winning streak? Will they let it send them into a downward spiral, or will they come into the game with a chip on their shoulder?

Speaking of chips on their shoulders, part of the reason the Avalanche lost the game in Montreal was fatigue on a back-to-back — it was even rumored that a couple players were playing through the flu. However, a large part of the game was Montreal’s game plan. They came out physical as a manner of countering Colorado’s speed. And it largely worked.

The Blues already play a physical game. No question they saw what worked in Montreal and will try to replicate it.

The Avalanche don’t have the size and weight they had a couple years ago. They can’t win one-to-one in the physical battles. However, they have big guys in Erik Johnson and Nikita Zadorov, neither of whom shies away from the physical play. They have hard hitters like Blake Comeau and a captain who doesn’t mind scuffling — neither does Nathan MacKinnon.

And they have a truly annoying player in A. J. Greer. I’m not saying he’s reached Corey Perry status yet, but he’s working on it. He didn’t play the last game, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him in tonight’s game.

Next: Avs Youth Still Learning the Ropes

The Colorado Avalanche will face the St. Louis Blues three more times this season. They’ll be in St. Louis on February 8 and March 15. They’ll also end their regular season against the Blues at home on April 7.

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