ST. LOUIS — The distance between Chicago and St. Louis is short, the time between games the Avalanche had in these cities small. But the difference in the way the Avs played against the Blackhawks on Friday and the Blues on Saturday? Grand Canyon huge.
Completely dominated in every facet of the hockey game, the Avs saw their four-game road win streak come to thudding stop. The Blues won 4-0 over Colorado before a sold-out crowd at Scottrade Center.
Any carryover in quality of play from Friday’s 4-0 shutout over Chicago was quickly shown not to be there. The Avs came out slow and sloppy, and it was 2-0 Blues after the first period.
Kyle Quincey’s giveaway of the puck right in front of his net led to St. Louis’ first goal, by Patrik Berglund, a slap shot through the 5-hole of Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
As it always seems to happen whenever the Avs face a player they traded away, he scored on Colorado. Former Av Kevin Shattenkirk scored at 12:21 of the first, right as a Blues power play had expired.
Shattenkirk beat Giguere with a screened shot from the point, just inside the near post.
The Blues outshot the Avs 10-2 in the first, and the second was not much better for Colorado.
Veteran Jason Arnott made it 3-0 after the Avs kicked the puck around in their own zone, and he fired a wrister past Giguere. The Blues got another power-play goal to close out the second, and the numbers after 40 minutes were: Blues 4, Avs 0 — shots on goal, Blues 27, Avs nine.
The Avs got a couple of power plays in the third period but didn’t put anything that could be called “pressure” on their former goalie, Brian Elliott.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
