Avalanche vs. St. Louis Blues Game 1: Three keys to victory for Colorado – The Denver Post

The Avalanche has advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, but is looking for its first Western Conference finals appearance since 2002.

Here are three keys for Colorado to begin Game 1 against the St. Louis Blues:

  1. MacKinnon and company. The Avalanche needs more of the same from top-three forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. A year ago against the Blues, the trio combined for nine goals and 24 points as Colorado swept the first-round series. They had a hand in three goals in Games 1, 2 and 4. Landeskog is now on the second line, swapping with Valeri Nichushkin, but the top-six, in general, needs to lead the way offensively. That includes second-line center Nazem Kadri and right winger Artturi Lehkonen, the trade-deadline addition from Montreal. The key might be Rantanen, who didn’t have a goal in the first round against Nashville.
  2. Power up. Colorado leads the NHL with a 43.8% power play in the postseason, having scored on 7 of 16 opportunities in the first round against Nashville. The Avs were also dominant with the man-advantage in the first round a year ago, going 6 of 12 against the Blues. They were perfect in Game 2 (2 of 2) and Game 4 (3 of 3). That success rate isn’t likely going to continue as the games tighten but anything close to 30% gives a team a great chance to win. In fact, the four teams with the top power-play percentages in the first round each advanced, including the Blues, who were fourth at 30.8%.

3) Get to the goalies. St. Louis is expected to start goalie Jordan Binnington. He started the final three games against Minnesota in the first round after backing up Ville Husso in the first three games. Husso was the No. 1 guy at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Then it all changed when he struggled in Games 2 and 3 against the Wild. The Avalanche would like to oppose both goalies in the series, which would mean one was shelled or injured. Forcing a Blues carousel in net would be advantageous, especially if it’s an in-game change. The key to chasing a goalie often stems from a relentless attack, which happens when the Avs play to their identity in all three zones.

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