BLUES The St. Louis Blues opened a back-to-back set on Friday night with a tight loss to the Colorado Avalanche. A 1-1 tie after the first period lasted through the second and most of the third, until Colorado's Devon Toews scored the game-winning goal with less than three minutes to go in regulation.
The Blues played a strong defensive game overall, limiting the Avs to just 23 shots on goal and snapping Nathan MacKinnon's 19-game point streak. However, an 0-for-4 night on the power play - despite a recent uptick - and other missed offensive opportunities made it tough for the Blues to get ahead.
Robert Thomas' shorthanded breakaway goal put the Blues on the board, giving them the NHL lead (along with Calgary) with nine shorthanded goals this season. As his game takes a leap approaching the midway point of the season, Thomas leads the Blues and shares 17th in the NHL with 38 points.
The Blues will have to quickly reset from the close defeat, traveling to Pittsburgh to end the year on a back-to-back finale against the Penguins. The defensive core will have to play without Justin Faulk, who suffered a lower-body injury late in Wednesday's loss.
They return to Enterprise Center to turn the calendar to 2024 against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 4.
The Blues visit the Penguins with a record of 18-16-1, worth 37 points and sixth in the Central Division.