Open Thread: Colorado Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues (5:00 p.m. MT)

The Colorado Avalanche are back on a little winning streak but look to end St. Louis’s wild run tonight at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The last time these teams met, Jordan Binnington stole the show and the game, defeating the Avs at Ball Arena by a score of 2-1. Will the Blues push their winning streak to 12 games and snag the club record for most consecutive wins? Or will the Avalanche play spoiler and exact some revenge?

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado staged a comeback earlier in the week and followed that up with a seven-goal performance against a desperate Columbus Blue Jackets club. A lot has been said about how the Avs have handled games lately, with their playoff birth assured, but there is plenty to play for with Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon both vying for season-long awards. Cale already has 30 goals, but how far can he take that? Can he log 100 points this season? Will MacKinnon win the Richard and Hart? All that aside, tonight should bring about even more want-to from Jared Bednar’s club after losing to the Blues just a week ago!

Projected Lineup:

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Valeri Nichushkin

Jimmy Vesey — Brock Nelson — Ross Colton

Miles Wood — Charlie Coyle — Joel Kiviranta

Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor

Devon Toews — Cale Makar

Ryan Lindgren — Sam Malinski

Keaton Middleton — Erik Johnson

Mackenzie Blackwood

Scott Wedgewood

St. Louis Blues

Head coach Jim Montgomery has done an excellent job with the Blues team late in the season as hard work has manifested, earning the Blues their 11-game winning streak. A season that appeared to be ending after game 82 now looks destined to enter the postseason with Jordan Binnington playing his best hockey. The Blues have already booted Minny from the WC1 position and are seven points clear of Calgary, who is now chasing the Wild for the final WC spot. The Blues will get in, but who will they draw in round one? Dallas or Winnipeg? We shall see.