St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Preview
The St. Louis Blues will face the Colorado Avalanche for the fifth and final time this season on Monday night, taking on last year’s Central Division champions in a MLK Day showdown at Scottrade Center.
The Blues, who will head into Monday’s game in sole possession of second place in the division, have taken three of four from Colorado this year, though things have by no means been easy against the Avs. The Blues’ first two wins could not be decided in regulation, with the November 1 game going to a shootout and the December 13 game being decided by a T.J. Oshie goal in overtime. The Blues got smoked by the Avalanche in a 5-0 road loss on December 23 before coming back to St. Louis six days later and getting their only regulation victory against the Avs in a 3-0 shutout victory.
While Colorado had heated up a bit in late December and the early part of January, they’ve been struggling again over the past few games, losing three of their past four, all of which have been played against Eastern Conference teams. They currently sit in sixth place in the Central Division.
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One would assume that following the Blues’ 3-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, they’ll stick with the same lineup on Monday against Colorado. That would mean that Chris Butler and Dmitrij Jaskin will remain healthy scratches, with Ian Cole and Joakim Lindstrom staying in the lineup.
There’s a possibility that the 21-year-old Jaskin, who has sat for the past two games, could return to the lineup, but at this point, it seems to be equally possible that he’s destined for at least a short return to the AHL. Jaskin started the season in the minors but has played in 18 of 45 games with the Blues this year. With Lindstrom seeming to have regained a grip on a spot in the lineup, however, a short trip to the Blues’ AHL affiliate in Chicago would allow Jaskin to get some game action. After the game on Monday night, the Blues will have nine days off due to the NHL All-Star break; Chicago plays three games during that time, which would give Jaskin a solid opportunity to get back into a rhythm.
Following his shutout of the Maple Leafs on Saturday, Brian Elliott is likely to start in goal on Monday night. Elliott currently leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.90) and has moved up to fourth in save percentage (.929).