Dubnyk wins Avalanche debut against Blues

ST. LOUIS -- Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves in his debut with the Colorado Avalanche, who held off the St. Louis Blues for a 4-3 win at Enterprise Center on Wednesday.

"It was OK," Dubnyk said. "I think a little sloppy at the start, just the rebounds sitting around. Obviously, there were a few nerves for me with the new team. Got away with it and felt a little better, I settled in as the game went on."
Dubnyk, who was acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, started after Philipp Grubauer was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day.
"It was a scheduled start for 'Grubi,'" Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "We had got him some rest on the road and you know, he played last game and we were getting ready to go with him again today. … It'll be at least 14 days before his next game. Not ideal, but I know he'll be hungry to get back in the net when he's healthy.
"We made the decision to go with Dubnyk because he didn't receive the vaccine or he already had it, not sure which is the case, and so he was feeling fine, better than most of our guys. Plus he's an experienced guy, he's played against St. Louis before, he's played in this building already this year, and I think that, you know, when you've got to lean on guys, you want to lean in on your veteran players, and that's what he was brought in to do. I thought he did a nice job for us."
Mikko Rantanen and J.T. Compher each had a goal and an assist, and Liam O'Brien had two assists for the Avalanche (30-9-4), who are 17-1-2 their past 20 games.
Colorado remained four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the eight-team Honda West Division. The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.

Mike Hoffman had two goals and an assist, and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves for the Blues (19-17-6), who had a three-game winning streak end and remained one point ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for fourth in the division.
"I think their goals, we gave them to them," Hoffman said. "A couple minor mistakes that they took advantage of. It's obviously a good hockey club over there. They're going to take advantage of any mistakes you make.
"It's tough to come back 4-1 against anyone, but especially against one of the top teams in the League."
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 10:28 of the first period. It was the 31st time Colorado has scored first this season, the most in the NHL.
Vince Dunn scored a power-play goal to tie it 1-1 at 15:20.
Compher gave Colorado a 2-1 lead at 2:52 of the second period, jamming in a loose puck in the crease after O'Brien's redirection hit the post.
"[Bellemare] and [Compher] have been really good to me," said O'Brien, whose multipoint game was his first in the NHL. "I've learned a lot from those two in the last couple weeks here. It's just been really awesome being on a line with those two guys and they've helped me out a lot."
Rantanen scored on a one-timer on the power play to make it 3-1 at 5:17. He has scored nine points (five goals, four assists) during a six-game point streak.
Brandon Saad extended the lead to 4-1 at 11:17 of the second period.
Hoffman cut it to 4-2 at 5:55 of the third period when he shot the puck from behind the net off Dubnyk's back. A video review determined it completely crossed the goal line in a legal fashion prior to the net coming off its moorings.
Hoffman then made it 4-3 at 16:44 with a one-timer on the power play.

Tyler Bozak had the opportunity to tie it 29 seconds later following a centering pass from Jordan Kyrou, but Dubnyk slid across the crease to stop the shot with his pads.
"We had a strong third period and played hard right until the end," Binnington said. "Obviously, not the outcome we want. Yeah, it's unfortunate. We've got to put that one behind and focus on the next game."
NOTES:Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi was scratched due to an illness unrelated to COVID-19. ... Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his point streak to 11 games (seven goals, 11 assists). ... Colorado has played 43 games this season, the fewest needed to reach 30 wins in its history. ... Bednar tied Bob Hartley for the most games coached (359) in Avalanche history since they relocated from Quebec in 1995-96. Bednar is 175-145-39. ... Blues center Brayden Schenn played his 700th NHL game. ... Dunn extended his point streak to an NHL career-high four games (one goal, five assists).