Avalanche win a Blues-style game to push St. Louis to the brink of elimination

This was the game the St. Louis Blues were looking for. This was the game folks said the Colorado Avalanche couldn’t win.

With an aggressive forecheck turned all the way up and feeding off a raucous home crowd, this was the recipe for the Blues to find their way into a game in a series they entered the night trailing by two games already

Instead of jumping on the Avalanche early, the Blues had an okay first period, the kind where both teams are genuinely comfortable with what happened because nothing has really happened and all of the scoring is still in front of them.

In reality, though, that first period was a sign of something darker to come for the Blues. Even when trailing two games, the first home game of a playoff series is a chance for the team and crowd to put their fingerprints on the series.

Game 3 is always a pivotal game no matter what happens in the first two games but when the home team is staring down the barrel of dropping to 0-3 on the series, there’s a different level of desperation.

Just two years removed from their magical Stanley Cup run, it was fair to expect this Blues group not push hard and make sure the Avalanche knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

Sure, things got physical and each team got their licks in, but something about this game just never really felt like it was the Blues’ night.

When the Blues themselves passed the puck down the ice just as each team had a player stepping onto the ice, it was the first tangible sign that things were taking a turn for the worse for the Blues.

Ryan Graves picked up the puck, deked Jordan Binnington about 15 feet outside of his net, and popped the puck into an empty net for the game’s first goal.

The Avs got goals from Alex Newhook (!!) and Tyson Jost from there to build a 3-0 lead that lasted all of nine seconds. A short-handed goal by Tyler Bozak made it 3-1 and the game once again entered the third period with the Avalanche nursing a two-goal lead.

Unlike Game 2, there was no momentum-shifting penalty that put the Blues on a five-minute power play. They did get two power plays but did nothing with them.

Instead, it was Colorado’s depth that squeezed the life out of any Blues comeback attempt. A play that started with great defense by Conor Timmins ended on the other end of the ice with Brandon Saad juking Binnington and scoring to make it 4-1, effectively ending the game.

J.T. Compher made it four empty-net goals in three games for the Avalanche when banked a puck off the wall and into the net for the 5-1 final.

It was Colorado’s surgical precision in the third period that really ended up standing out as they not only scored twice but outshot the Blues 9-6 in the final frame. That’s not supposed to happen when the team is holding a two-goal lead. Typically, those score effects dictate the losing team does the shooting.

That wasn’t the case tonight as the Avs locked it down defensively and took advantage of their chances on offense. This was the Blues’ game to win in this series. Now it’s gone and they’re facing the reality of a sweep on Sunday afternoon.

One can’t help but wonder if Ryan O’Reilly is having nearly as much fun as he promised he would when he declared the Blues would beat the Avalanche back before the series started.

TAKEAWAYS

• I know the metrics have Ryan Graves struggling in this one but I thought he was aces. He spent much of the game defending (thus the shot metrics) but he sure looked good out there tonight. So many of his problems stem from decision-making and execution with the puck and I thought he was nails on both counts tonight. It was no accident he finished with a three-point night. The goal was pretty lucky but both assists were well-earned. The first was him stepping up into the offensive zone on a puck the Blues were trying to breakout and Graves put it on Binnington, who kicked it out thinking he had defensive help. That wasn’t the case as the puck went straight to Newhook and right into the history books. His second assist was on the fifth goal, Compher’s empty-net goal, but it was another good play by Graves in the defensive zone that helped get it going. I don’t mind the Avs being outshot 12-8 with Graves on the ice when he’s playing sound defense and making good decisions with the puck. He’s an effective, safe player when he’s like that. I will say that the high-danger chances are a concern (7-2 in STL’s favor) and something he and Girard should aim to amend.
• Girard struggled quite a bit in this one. It looked like Girard and Graves were the stars of a body-switching movie as everything Girard usually does well, Graves did, while the areas Graves usually struggles were the main points of frustration from Girard. No doubt Girard has to keep improving his game when teams get on top of him and attack him with the forecheck he faced tonight. He was pressured into several poor decisions and the Avs simply need better from him.
• Colorado’s top pairing was absolutely awesome. Devon Toews and Cale Makar were imperfect but extremely impressive nonetheless. That’s the type of performance that wins playoff games.
• Colorado got five goals tonight but only two points from the top line (both assists on Jost’s goal). That’s the type of depth that puts the scare into opposing teams. Nathan MacKinnon was finally contained for a night and the rest of the lineup chips in. They got goals from lines three and four (two of them!) and the defense. On the flip side, the highest scorers on the Blues through three games are Tyler Bozak, Torey Krug, and Robert Thomas. They each have two points.
• Alex Newhook’s first goal was great all the way around. It started with Newhook making the right play in the defensive zone to help initiate the breakout and then he flew down the ice and made a nice cross-ice pass to Val Nichushkin but they just missed a connection with Nichushkin driving the net. When the puck came back to Newhook seconds later via rebound off Binnington’s leg, Newhook made no mistake. He didn’t try to get cute with it and make life easier. He just put himself into position to get as much of the bouncing puck as he could and he put the puck center-mass. Perfect. He’s earned a little more ice.
• Seven more games for Nazem Kadri, as it was announced mid-game that he was suspended for eight games. Tonight’s game counted, making it seven more to go until he can return. I’ll let everyone decide how they feel about the suspension themselves but for me it was just a little too much and felt out of line with recent history. It is what it is.
• Tyson Jost sure is something. The Blues threw the kitchen sink right at his head tonight and he kept getting back up, taking whatever abuse they threw his way, dishing some out in return, and finding the back of the net that might have been the back-breaker of St. Louis’s entire season. Impressive showing so far for him.
• Philipp Grubauer is locked in. He’s fun to watch right now. His .944 save percentage right now leads the NHL in the postseason. Pretty pretty pretty good.