The Colorado Avalanche have finally found out how to win at home. After defeating the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, Colorado extended their home winning streak to six games and have used this surge to move up into the standings. With a win against the St. Louis Blues, Colorado would leapfrog their way into 10 place within the conference -- and potentially two points away from tying for that last playoff spot.
The Blues are a formidable opponent. Since hiring Ken Hitchcock as their head coach, St. Louis has been on an absolute tear through the league with a 13-2-4 record. They boast the hottest goaltending tandem in the league with Jaroslav Halak and former Avalanche goalie Brian Elliott in net. Elliott, acquired from the Ottawa Senators last spring, struggled in a Colorado sweater, but currently leads the league in Goals Against Average (1.43 GAA) and Save Percentage (.948 SV%). He will get the start in net for St. Louis.
For Colorado, Jean-Sebastien Giguere will get his third straight start in net as Semyon Varlamov has been plagued by a minor back strain. Giguere would have likely earned the start even without the injury, as he has been simply sensational in net for Colorado. He ranks fourth in the league with a 1.85 GAA and his .929 SV% ranks ninth. The veteran goalie has been a consistent performer for the Avalanche this season, and a big reason for this recent home streak.
Defenseman Erik Johnson -- the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade last spring -- will get his first home start against his former team. Johnson was on the Injured Reserve list earlier this month when Colorado defeated the Blues 3-2 in a dramatic shootout victory on December 2.
Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. MDT
For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Blues blog St. Louis Game Time.