{"id":128987,"date":"2022-05-24T17:12:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T21:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=128987"},"modified":"2022-05-24T17:12:34","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T21:12:34","slug":"colorado-avalanche-takes-series-lead-vs-st-louis-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/05\/24\/colorado-avalanche-takes-series-lead-vs-st-louis-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Avalanche Take Series Lead Against St Louis Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

As expected, the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> have taken a series lead against the St Louis Blues<\/a>. But the Blues are not going down without a fight. In the four games of the Colorado Avalanche vs St Louis Blues series, every game was balanced enough that both could’ve taken the win. But Colorado is the better team and is taking advantage of every mistake the Blues make. And now, the Blues will have to do everything they can to avoid elimination.<\/p>\n

Colorado Avalanche vs St Louis Blues Series Midpoint<\/h2>\n

One thing that was certain about this series is that the goaltender battle would be insane<\/a>. Both teams are able to create good chances and Darcy Kuemper<\/a> and Jordan Binnington<\/a> have had to put in the work to keep their teams alive. But the real difference has been how smart each team is playing. Colorado is creating more high danger chances and St. Louis has not been able to hold them back. They are doing a good job at shutting down the top line with Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> and Mikko Rantanen<\/a>. But the thing is, the Avalanche is a complete team and everyone steps up. And the Blues have not figured out how to shut down the other three lines – and the defencemen.<\/p>\n

The Avs, on the other hand, are doing a good job at controlling the puck and clearing the zone quickly. But they need to help Kuemper in front of the net. Most of the Blues’ high danger chances come from chaotic panic moments right in front of the Colorado net and if they don’t clean that up, it can become a problem. Luckily for them, Kuemper is really, really good.<\/p>\n

Goaltending Matchup<\/h3>\n

If the odds were against the Blues before Game 3, Jordan Binnington being hurt surely doesn’t help. The 28-year-old was injured in the first period of Game 3 after a collision with teammate Calle Rosen<\/a> and Colorado forward Nazem Kadri<\/a>. Now, Ville Husso<\/a> had to take the net and things have not gone very well. In Game 3, he had a .826 save percentage and allowed our goals in 19 shots. In Game 4, Husso had a .861 SV% and let in five goals. Their defence is not the best in this series but he hasn’t been great either.<\/p>\n

And even if he was, Darcy Kuemper has been absolutely insane. Besides the Game 2 fiasco – which wasn’t his fault at all, everyone was playing poorly – Kuemper is everything the Avalanche needs him to be. He’s a very calm goaltender and in every dangerous chance the Blues have, he’s there to make the save. No one is perfect, obviously, but Kuemper is the closest thing one can get.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>