Avalanche-Blues Preview
By Andrew Dill
November 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) celebrates the 1-0 victory against the Los Angeles Kings following the overtime period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Blues are entering the game tonight with 23 games played, sitting at 17-3-3 with 37 points, second place in the Central Division. The Colorado Avalanche on the other hand have played 22 games, sitting at 17-5-0 with 34 points, third place in the Central Division.
This is a game the Avalanche fan base couldn’t possibly wait for. The rematch against the St. Louis blues; a team that dominated their first match-up scoring four goals in the second period. St. Louis would wind up winning that game 7-3.
"On Nov.14 in St.Louis, the Blues blasted the Avs 7-3 in a game that featured six fighting majors in the second period, plus another 36 minutes worth of misconducts, unsportsmanlike conduct or roughing infractions."
"Colorado appeared frustrated after the four-goal blitz, taking three fighting majors in the final 3:14 of the second period. Three Colorado players were given 10-minute misconducts in the third period."
Make sure to keep your eye on St. Louis forward Chris Stewart tonight. After fighting 35-yr-old defense man Cory Sarich, he would throw his hands up to the crowd. That action was not taken lightly by the Avalanche team. He would then refuse to fight Colorado’s enforcer Patrick Bordeleau in the game. So keep your eye on that. But Colorado head coach Patrick Roy said this to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post:
"“We’re not going to play that game. We’re going to play hockey,” Roy said. “Our team is about speed. Our team is about playing hockey. Are we capable of being physical? Yes, we are. But we are not going to fight them. We’re not going to be part of that game. We’re going to make sure that we play our way. Why lose our focus?”"
Avalanche center Matt Duchene will be out for his fourth-straight game with an oblique injury. However the Avalanche have won all three games play in his absence.
Another stat to keep note of: St. Louis is second in the National Hockey League in goals per game at 3.44, while Colorado is fifth at 3.14.