Colorado returns home after splitting two road games against Central Division opponents, only to find yet another quality team waiting for them in the St. Louis Blues.
St. Louis holds one of the best records in the league, and much of it is because of Jaroslav Halak, who they acquired this offseason from Montreal. Halak carries a .933 save percentage and a sparkling 1.79 GAA into this game. Even with their stellar record, St. Louis has stumbled on the road lately, losing their last three games in embarrassing fashion by a 16-6 margin, including an 8-1 dismantling at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
This game is an excellent contrast of styles, as the Avalanche have won this season by scoring as many goals as possible (third best in the league with a 3.4 goals scored per game average), while the Blues have allowed an anemic 34 goals so far this season, third-best in the NHL. Halak has played a major factor, but the presence of young defenseman and future star Erik Johnson has made all the difference for this Blues team. They may not score many goals -- no Blues player has tallied more than 10 points this season -- but they make those goals count.
Colorado, on the other hand, is finally getting healthy and hoping they have weathered the major storm of injuries so far this season. Adam Foote has returned to game action, and top goalie Craig Anderson has finally begun skating in practice, with a likely return later this week. The revolving door with Lake Erie continues as defensemen David Liffiton and Colby Cohen were sent down to make room for the return of Foote and the inclusion of new defenseman Ryan O'Byrne.
Faceoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. MDT.
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