GDT #43: 1/6/16 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/KMOX

[dmiles2186]

Of course I want the Blues to win. But you know what? If somehow, they can accidentally light the building on fire and cost Stan Kroenke as much money as possible in the name of St. Louis? I would not complain much about that either.

BLUES (23-14-5) at AVALANCHE (19-18-3)

TV: FS-MW, ALT

Season series: Semyon Varlamov made 42 saves, and Jack Skille and John Mitchell scored in the first period to help the Colorado Avalanche defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Dec. 13. Vladimir Tarasenko scored a power-play goal for St. Louis.

Blues team scope: Captain David Backes missed his second practice in three days because of an upper-body injury, but he will play, coach Ken Hitchcock said. "He's dealing with an upper-body ailment that'll keep him off of practice for the next week, but he'll be able to play the games, no problem," Hitchcock said. Backes sustained the injury in a 4-1 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Kyle Brodziak has regained his spot as the Blues' fourth-line center. Brodziak, who recently missed five games with a skate cut above his right knee, was scratched from a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday because the coaching staff thought he needed some more conditioning. "It's pretty simple. Since coming back, I don't think I've felt the greatest on the ice, and the coaches recognized it," Brodziak said. "It's just an opportunity to take a few days and get some good skates in, just try to get my legs back under me." Goalie Jake Allen will start.

Avalanche team scope: Defenseman Erik Johnson will not play after he sustained a lower-body injury Monday in a 4-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings. "It could be five, 10 days, 12 days ... short term," coach Patrick Roy told the Avalanche website. Colorado claimed defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk off waivers from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Bodnarchuk, 27, could make his Avalanche debut against the Blues. "With the injury to Brad Stuart (back), I think we just want to have some depth to our defense," Roy said. "That was the plan behind this. We believe that he's going to help us." Stuart has been out since Nov. 10. Varlamov will play against St. Louis. Jarome Iginla needs one goal to tie Jari Kurri for 18th in NHL history (601).

Now that Jarome Iginla has his 600th goal, the Colorado Avalanche can solely focus on stringing together some victories.

After Iginla's historic goal helped the Avs snap their latest home slide, they'll try to hand the visiting St. Louis Blues a season-high fourth consecutive defeat Wednesday night.

Iginla became the 19th NHL player to reach 600 on Monday, when his third-period power-play goal - Colorado's third of the game - was the final tally of a 4-1 victory that snapped Los Angeles' five-game winning streak.

"It is a little bit (of a relief)," the 38-year-old Iginla, who went without a goal in the previous three games, told the NHL's official website. "Now it's done and time to move forward."

The Avalanche (19-18-13) ended an 0-2-2 home skid by winning for the second time in six games since taking a season-high five in a row.

"When it comes down to it, it's about winning games and everything like that," said Iginla, who is third on the team with 11 goals but hasn't scored in consecutive contests since Nov. 1-3.

"We need to start climbing back and catching some teams."

Colorado bounced back from Saturday's 4-0 home loss to Calgary thanks to a power play that's 11 for 24 in the last seven games. It was 1 for 26 in the previous 10 contests.

Defenseman Tyson Barrie, who assisted on Iginla's goal, had another assist and two goals to record the first four-point game of his career. Barrie ranks among the NHL's top defensemen with 27 points.

''That's the Tyson we like to see,'' coach Patrick Roy said.

Neither Iginla nor Barrie had a point in a 3-1 victory at St. Louis (23-14-5) on Dec. 13, but teammate Semyon Varlamov made a season-high 42 saves. Varlamov stopped 30 shots Monday after posting a 4.37 goals-against average while in net for the previous four home contests.

The Blues have been held to two or fewer goals in their four defeats over the last five games. They've yielded at least three in all five contests after blowing a third-period lead in Monday's 3-2 overtime home loss to Ottawa.

"It's about points, it's about wins, it's about doing anything and everything you have to do to get it done," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "But it's also about not having to expound a ton more energy like we had to (Monday)."

Also looking to avoid a third straight road loss, the Blues play the next three away from home.

"It takes a lot to win in the league right now," said Hitchcock, whose club has been outscored 10-1 in the third period of the last five games. "If the sense of urgency inside the locker room grows than we can grow from this."

St. Louis recorded a power-play goal in three straight games but has allowed its last two opponents to go 3 for 8 with the man advantage.

Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored one Monday for his third goal in four games. He assisted on Vladimir Tarasenko's power-play goal against the Avs last month.

Tarasenko has a team-high 23 goals but none in six games at Colorado.

It's uncertain if Avs defenseman and ex-Blue Erik Johnson will play after suffering a lower-body injury Monday. The club claimed defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk on waivers from Columbus on Tuesday.

[glen a richter]

If they could guarantee that losing badly on this out west'ish swing that they're on now would force them to send Hitchcock packing, I'd be all in favor of a wholloping over the next few games. Since Hitch will be the coach for the foreseeable next decade or two, may as well try to make it competitive.

Avs 2
Blues 1
OT

[abc789987]

Of course I want the Blues to win. But you know what? If somehow, they can accidentally light the building on fire and cost Stan Kroenke as much money as possible in the name of St. Louis? I would not complain much about that either.

[big d note]

My interest in the Blues has waned a bit lately, and I totally forgot that they were playing here in Denver tonight. Guess I'll skip this snoozefest and maybe catch the next game here. Hopefully Hitchcock will be gone by then.

[glen a richter]

Well the BJ's and Preds swung a trade... Johansen for Jones. That takes one potential trade target off the market.

I bet after the next three games, which are sure to be a debacle, Hitch and Army are both gone. We're already hanging onto 3rd in the central by a thread, Minnesota has games in hand to jump and Nashville just got decidedly better on the offensive front. By this time next week this team is easily nearing the outside looking in--the only saving grace being that aside from LA, the Pacific is weak and the wild cards probably won't come from that division. Stillman won't sit on his hands at that point, no way.

[Portland Blues]

Blues score first and call it a night...

After game Hitch is given a new lifetime contract.

[Portland Blues]

Ha! The guy on the NHL Channel basically face-palming over the Blues letting Colorado tie it up to send it to overtime. Mentioned the Blues multiple 3rd period collapses.

[Portland Blues]

Walter. Tango. Foxtrot. Jake...

[dmiles2186]

What a joke. Glad I fell asleep after the 2nd period. I wasn't tired, the Blues lulled me into a comatose state.

[ecbm]

Stillman won't sit on his hands at that point, no way.

Wish I had your confidence. I'm still trying to figure out Stillman in that sense. I'm starting to worry that he's the sort of owner who just hands the keys to the GM until the building's consistently half-empty.

[glen a richter]

When the teams above you are pulling away, the teams below you are either not really below you due to games in hand (Minnesota) or are getting better via trade (Nashville) and you're stuck in neutral, how can you be a responsible owner and not make immediate changes? Hitchcock and Army have two more games and they're gone. If not, Stillman is a blistering idiot.

[The Flake]

The loss last night was fully on Allen's shoulders. He just fell apart half way through the game. The last two goals were absolutely awful.

The game before was Petro's fault...

This team is in some kind of funk for sure. They have plenty of talent but it seems that they can't put it all together for the full 60 minutes...the whole team that is. I'm sure they will pull out of it but it is excruciating to watch while it's happening. I do agree though that if this persists much longer, Army and Hitch both need shown the door.

[midgensa]

That game hurt last night.

I had it on ... stopped paying attention for a few minutes ... and bam ... we were losing in OT.

I really wish that I felt Hitchcock could get us there ... but I am seriously starting to doubt it.

[theohall]

Anyway on the firing people thing...

Thoughts from the off-season were:
1) Just get the team to the playoffs.
2) Don't worry about division titles or President's trophies
3) Tinker around with crap in the regular season, as long as playoffs are in the picture, to figure out what doesn't and doesn't work.
4) If someone, somewhere is struggling, use the regular season - even if it means losing games as long as the playoffs are in sight - to right whatever area they might be struggling with.

So far, all of that seems to be what's going on. Yes, I'm sick of Hitchcock's system, but when the team was healthy to start the season, they were playing a different style of hockey. As the injuries mounted, it shifted back to more of Hitch's old system while still freeing up the D-man to jump in plays. IMO, with Ott out, the forward lines are trying to play more the way they did at the beginning of the season, but defensive zone let downs from various players - forwards, d and goaltending - keep turning into losses recently even though the team is scoring 3 goals. I'm interested to see what it looks like with Schwartz back in the line up. Many say one player doesn't matter. Well, when that one player is replaced by someone who isn't as effective defensively, doesn't have the same hockey sense, doesn't finish as well, if at all, or doesn't skate as well, it impacts the team's overall presence.

Tarasenko Lehtera Fabbri
Schwartz Stastny Steen

is a far better 1-2 punch than a 2nd line of Brouwer Stastny Steen. No disrespect to Brouwer, but he isn't a 2nd line forward.

Then Berglund-Backes-Brouwer as a 3rd line and maybe we get something out of Berglund being with two guys who will do the hard work Berglund won't do consistently.

I can wait and see, because it's the playoffs that matter, not the regular season.

[Toasted Oates]

^True enough, but they have to get there first. The Wild are creeping and have games in hand. So do the Preds with their shiny, new #1 center.

But I know you know that. I also know Hitchcock isn't the only turd in the punch bowl but firing him is small enough of a risk that I'm willing to find out if he's the biggest one.

Either way, yeah...get 17 back. I'd love to be wrong about this team swirling around the toilet bowl.

[glen a richter]

I'm not normally wild about guys getting coaching gigs on teams they played for, but that really only applies to guys who would be coaching players they played with---such as Joe Girardi managing the Yankees.

In the case of the Blues, I could absolutely get behind not only Dave Lowry as HC, but also CuJo as goalie coach (he's coaching in some lower junior league somewhere up in Canada), and also Chopper and Hull having roles working with the D and the forwards respectively. Since St. Louis is often painfully loyal to their athletes good or bad, may as well give coaching roles to four of the actually qualified ones. Besides being eminently qualified to coach (Lowry and Joseph), the presence of four guys who have been in the Note and genuinely know St. Louis' burning desire for a Cup seems like it could be a good experiment. Can't go a whole lot worse than ever other coaching decision in team history.

[Oaklandblue]

This team is going to get bounced right out of the playoffs, if they make it. Something has to change.

[ecbm]

Anyway on the firing people thing...

I appreciate the well-expressed perspective. Yes, I agree that part of what we're experiencing is the sort of angst you'd expect while watching a team go through a transition and the growing pains that come with that. I've had my dad and brother lamenting D getting caught up the play over the last few games and I've had to point out that that's one of the things we wanted to see more of after the last few seasons. So yeah, that's a valid point. But still...

It's halfway through the season and in terms of tactics, this teams seems to be all over the place. Frequently-to my eyes-any semblance of playing a system disappears in recent games.

Then

1) Just get the team to the playoffs.

If Minnesota & Nashville win their games in hand (I know, but still), the Blues would be in the second wild card spot by one point. At least we'd be lined up for a matchup with the Stars, who often bring the best out of this squad this season...

And then

If someone, somewhere is struggling, use the regular season - even if it means losing games as long as the playoffs are in sight - to right whatever area they might be struggling with.

But what we've mainly seen is Hitchcock continuing with his stubborn insistence on using the players he "trusts" in situations where they're not productive. See: inserting Berglund immediately into the second line, continuing to give Petro & Bouwmeester 5 more minutes on the ice than any other D and using the likes of Backes and Paajarvi in 3v3 OT instead of Fabbri & Parayko.

Many say one player doesn't matter. Well, when that one player is replaced by someone who isn't as effective defensively, doesn't have the same hockey sense, doesn't finish as well, if at all, or doesn't skate as well, it impacts the team's overall presence.

Sure, fair enough. A couple of things mitigate that for me though. First is Hitchcock's misuse of players that I've already mentioned. Second is that, without Schwartz this squad still features three players that have scored 30 goals before and two others who have scored 20 on 9 occasions and none of these guys are past their prime. The Canadians losing Gallagher on top of Price has a much more pronounced effect as he is one of only 4 players on that team who have ever been 20 goal guys who aren't totally washed up (Alexander Semin).

Then Berglund-Backes-Brouwer as a 3rd line and maybe we get something out of Berglund being with two guys who will do the hard work Berglund won't do consistently.

This is the sort of mentality the team's leadership clearly has and which I'd really like to see shed. Berglund is not a prospect. He's not productive enough for the top lines on this team and I certainly don't see the point of parking his soft ass on the 3rd line so he can float while 2/3 of the line do the work. They don't have something on the farm better than that? They know that for sure? Why not try something different? It's not like the current approach has yielded unqualified success AND it the team seems headed in the wrong direction right now.

I can wait and see, because it's the playoffs that matter, not the regular season.

The current angst has its roots in the fact that the Blues making the playoffs looks far from guaranteed right now. That's as much down to a stupid playoff qualification format as anything but it's a real possibility.