Colorado Avalanche (36-24-8) at St. Louis Blues (36-27-5)Thursday, March 15th at 7:00 EST – FS-MW, ALT2
The playoff race continues and as more games are played more opportunities are lost. As of Mar. 11, both the Blues and Avalanche have played 68 out of their 82 games and they find themselves on the border of the playoffs. On any given night these teams are part of a small group that are consistently entering and exiting the playoff bracket. These two points that are up for grabs in this Thursday night match up are crucial.
The Blues have been falling behind lately and they have seen themselves fall out of the playoff picture. As of Mar. 12, the Blues are 2-6-2 in their last ten games which is far less than ideal. The Blues have fallen heavily in the standings and this is crippling to their chances due to the Central Division being especially competitive.
As of right now it is a possibility that the Central Division could be sending five teams to the playoffs. Nashville, Winnipeg and Minnesota sit at the top of the division standings and they are pretty much guaranteed a spot. The Avalanche and Blues are battling for their playoff lives.
The Avalanche started off the season very hot after an extremely disappointing 2017 campaign. Since then they have fallen back down to Earth just a little bit and are on the edge of the playoff picture. The Av’s road record is less than ideal at 12-16-6 but throughout the season they have made up for it through their home record at 24-8-2.
Remaining consistent until the end of the regular season will give Colorado a strong chance at the playoffs. Fortunately for the Avalanche they have eight home games remaining. They have found success at home this year so this is a huge positive for this team. With six road games remaining, scraping any kind of points they can on the road is critical to their chances of making the playoffs.
In this Central Division match up desperation will rule the game. Who wants it more and who is willing to go the extra mile. One on one battles could determine who wins the game and taking two points away from a division competitor could determine who is going to the postseason.
For this specific match the Blues and Avalanche are two evenly matched teams but the Avalanche have been more consistent recently. The Blues are going to have to try some creative moves if they want to get ahead. At this point it’s now or never for this team and they are going to have to leave it all out there on the ice.
Prediction time! Colorado’s road record shows as they can’t pull it off in St. Louis. The Blues play a solid game knowing their situation and are led by the star scorer Vladimir Tarasenko. Blues take this one 4-2 and take a step towards the postseason.