The St. Louis Blues fought to the end on Tuesday night but were unable to top the Colorado Avalanche in overtime.
Even though the thrilling series opener did not go their way, the Blues have a lot to feel confident about as they move on to Game 2 and aim for a road split.
Jordan Binnington continued his exceptional play during this playoff run. His 51 saves and 54 total shots faced were both career high marks, including regular season and postseason. Binnington kept the Blues in the game, paving the way for Jordan Kyrou to score a clutch goal late in the third period to force overtime.
The Blues held star defenseman Cale Makar scoreless, a testament to their defensive execution. Makar scored a blistering 10 points in Colorado's four-game sweep in the first round, and Tuesday was his first game without a point since April 26 - against none other than the Blues.
"It's all about work and competing - it really is," said Head Coach Craig Berube. "You gotta fight for space, you gotta fight for pucks, especially this time of year and especially against this team."
Ryan O'Reilly continues to lead the Blues, matching a franchise record by scoring a goal in his fifth consecutive postseason game to open things up Tuesday night. With the Pavel Buchnevich - Robert Thomas - Vladimir Tarasenko line still trying to find their groove, O'Reilly's contributions will be crucial as the series treks on.
NOTEWORTHY STATS
- Scoring on their only opportunity in Game 1 at Colorado, the Blues also scored a power-play goal in all six games in the first round vs. Minnesota - the first time they have recorded a power-play goal in every game of a series since the 2000 Conference Quarterfinals.
- Craig Berube will coach his 47th playoff game behind the Blues bench in Game 2, tying Ken Hitchcock for third in franchise history.
- Binnington's 51 saves in Game 1 tied Jake Allen for the fourth most in a single playoff game in franchise history, also moving him into second all-time on the franchise playoff saves list with 1,057 (1. Mike Liut, 1,086).
THEY SAID IT
"I expect there to be a lot of close games - it's going to be a tight series. (We have to) just look at the positives, drop the negatives and move on." - Colton Parayko after Game 1
"That's playoff hockey, momentum shifts. (The Blues are) a good team over there. They're gonna keep coming, and that's the way this series is gonna be - it's going to be tough" - Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog after Game 1
BLUE NOTES
David Perron is set to play his 100th career postseason game in Game 2, becoming the 53rd active player to reach this milestone. Brandon Saad is set to reach the mark in Game 3... Perron is one point shy of matching Pierre Turgeon for 10th most postseason points in franchise history... O'Reilly, Perron and Tarasenko became the first trio of teammates in franchise history - and 11th in NHL history - to score five or more goals in a single playoff series in the first round vs. Minnesota.
A layoff of eight days didn't seem to bother the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series against St. Louis on Tuesday night.
They put 54 shots on goal, hit three posts and the crossbar twice before beating the Blues 3-2 in overtime.
Now the host Avalanche will try to take a 2-0 series lead in Game 2 on Thursday night in Denver.
Colorado's roster is packed with stars but it was the supporting cast that scored goals in Game 1. Valeri Nichushkin and Sam Girard scored in regulation, and Josh Manson got his first career playoff goal in overtime.
"Val is a train," Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "He's been so good for us and keeps finding ways to be super effective for us and score big goals. ... In playoff games, every goal is massive, and it just brings out that emotion in you."
Girard was seen heading to get X-rays after the game but Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning that he was fine.
Manson wasn't even part of the team three months ago but general manager Joe Sakic traded for the veteran defenseman to bolster the depth on the blueline. He is paired with Girard and gives Colorado a contrast in size. Manson is listed as 6-feet-3, 224 pounds while Girard is 5-10 and 170 pounds.
The Avalanche dominated most of Game 1 -- including a 13-0 shot advantage in overtime -- but came close to falling behind in the series. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington had 51 saves and nearly stole the game, but Colorado is not panicking.
"Their goalie played really good for them," said Landeskog, who had an assist on the game winner. "He made some saves that we feel like we had empty nets and he stuck a leg out or a hand out or whatever. He played really well."
St. Louis has lost eight straight playoff games to the Avalanche dating to the 2001 Western Conference finals, and it has lost three in a row to them overall this season. Despite that record of futility, the Blues aren't concerned after one game, just focusing on what to do better.
"There's a lot of things that we can improve on. It's a long series," defenseman Colton Parayko said. "They have a good team, they're fast. We have a good team. We've been a good team all season long so I expect there to be a lot of close games and it's going to be a tight series. Just look at the positives, drop the negatives and move on."
St. Louis hopes defensemen Marco Scandella and Torey Krug can return from their lower-body injuries soon. Scandella has not played since Game 4 of the first-round victory over Minnesota and Krug has been out since Game 3.
Despite the injuries and the recent postseason dominance over the Blues, Colorado has a healthy respect for the 2019 Stanley Cup champs.
"We didn't make a lot of mistakes, but that's one thing about St. Louis: Even if they're not at their best, if you make any mistakes, they can win being opportunistic," Bednar said.
