After six straight wins, Colorado lost their last game against lousy Anaheim. St. The Louis Blues, in turn, have lost three games in a row and are starting to get desperate. Tonight’s game is big for both teams.
Colorado Avalanche–St. Louis Blues
At 10 p.m., TV2 and Arenan
Commentator: Anders Nordenswan
Last spring, St. Louis the only team that, during Colorado’s road to the finals, occasionally managed to get the future champions rocking. This season has so far not gone as planned for either team.
In any case, the Avalanche have found their form after the turn of the year and, before the snowy loss against Anaheim, had lined up a winning streak of six games. The duck fat in the minutes still seemed to be due to nonchalance in the third period and the train is on its way to the playoffs.
St. Louis Blues, on the other hand, are just now losing touch with a wild card spot.
The gap is up to six points – and it is Colorado that is currently sitting on the last playoff ticket.
It’s more than a two-point game for both teams.
Three Finns in the rink
Colorado’s top scorer Mikko Rantanen netted twice against the Ducks and is now up to 34 goals. 27 of them he has shot when both teams had the same number of players on the ice – with that he is first in the NHL. For example, Connor McDavid has scored four fewer goals with an even number of players.
Magical 50 cages has not been done by a Finn since Teemu Selänne in 1997-1998, but now is the time. Rantanen reaches 50 without long-term injuries and “Moose” also becomes the first Finn after “The Finnish Flash” to exceed 100 points – before tonight’s game the balance is 60.
How many goals and points for number 96 will there be against the Blues?
Colorado’s other Finn, the man of the big goals, Artturi Lehkonen is also on his way to the most productive season of his NHL career. Lehkonen enjoys being in Colorado and coach Jared Bednar enjoys having “Lehky” on the team at least as well.
Lehkonen eventually starts to resemble Jere Lehtinen. This means that whenever the team needs someone who is guaranteed to perform all over the rink, Artturi can count on ice time.
In the Blues, physically large and strong defender Niko Mikkola has a stable season in a weak team. Mikkola is one of only five players in the Blues with a positive +/- and plays an average of just over 16 minutes, usually in the second or third pair.
Artturi Lehkonen.
Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
Watch out for: the world’s best back
Niko Mikkola in all glory, but the back that the spectator should keep an eye on is Colorado’s star, Cale Makar. The reigning Norris and Conn Smythe winner made a comeback against Anaheim after a few game injury layoff and is said to be tagged.
Makar has so many different sides to his game that it’s really worth keeping an eye on the number 8. One of the few players who can decide a match on his own when he decides to.
Commentator’s tip: Blues fight but must give up
St. Louis is one of those teams that basically knows how to make life difficult for Colorado. In addition, with the Avalanche still missing long-term injured Gabriel Landeskog and a credible second center, it could be a chance for the Blues to start digging themselves out of the hole.
Colorado has nevertheless, in the last two weeks, again started to look like the team with the Stanley Cup dent to defend. The loss against the Ducks made MacKinnon, Rantanen, Makar, Lehkonen & consortes angry – and the Blues will pay for it. 6–3 to “Avs”.
