The Colorado Avalanche lost another preseason game, this time against the St. Louis Blues by a 3-1 score. The Avalanche fall to 1-4 in the preseason.
Then again, preseason results really don't matter when it comes to predicting regular season results. For example, defensemen Matt Hunwick and rookie Stefan Elliott both among the top three skaters in ice time -- something that would never happen during a regular season.
This was a closely fought defensive game from the start, with a scoreless first period. Blues forward David Backes broke open the scoring at the end of the second period, and he was matched early in the third by Avalanche winger Joakim Lindstrom. A power play goal by T.J. Oshie midway through the third proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
Both goalies played well stat-wise, though Jean-Sebastien Giguere faced 32 shots for the Avalanche, while the Blues' Ben Bishop faced a mere 19 shots.
If preseason truly mattered, the average fan would be concerned about the eight total shots for Colorado through the first two periods. Then again, most of Colorado's top players didn't even dress for this game. Paul Stastny, Erik Johnson, Peter Mueller, Milan Hejduk, and T.J. Galiardi were just a few of the many scratches for this game.
Again, it's preseason. The coaches are testing out players who are on the fringes of the roster and experimenting with different defensive pairings. Colorado closes out their preseason slate of games against the Los Angeles Kings in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 1. Most of the Opening Night roster should dress for that game.