Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Hockey fans won’t have a ton to watch on Hockey Night in Canada, with St. Louis vs. Colorado being the lone game.
And if we can take anything from the first two games, we’re in for another crazy night.
The series is tied at one apiece, with Colorado grabbing a Game 1 win and St. Louis answering back two nights ago. It’s a good time to chase momentum, and neither team has played overly bad in their respective losses, either.
Here’s a look at the keys to winning Game 3 on Saturday:
Colorado will bounce back big
After a perfect first five games, the Colorado Avalanche finally had some cracks in the armor in Game 2. The game was relatively close for the first half, but a pair of goals from Jordan Kyrou and David Perron in the second period was all it took.
For the Avs, they can take some solace in the fact they played well. They had 31 shots — one fewer than St. Louis and the team’s stars were all involved around the net. We knew the Blues weren’t going to back down easily in this series, and Colorado’s long break was partly a reason for concern.
Thankfully, this “adversity” — if you can even call it that — could be seen as a real positive for a team that swept through the Nashville Predators like they were standing still. Colorado’s power play has been fantastic, leading the playoffs at 38.1 percent. But Colorado is second at 34.5, and has a much better penalty kill (82.8 percent) than Colorado (68.8).
The secret for getting back on track? Simple. Just do what worked all season long. The Avalanche are still among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup and have a long list of star talent to make up for any deficiencies.
Jordan Binnington has leveled the playing field
It’s incredible how Binnington has found his form once again.
After losing the starting gig during the season to Ville Husso, Binnington has played the best hockey of his career since the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. And it’s coming at a vital time — had it not been for Binnington’s exploits in Game 1, it would have been much more lopsided.
In Game 2, Binnington was spectacular again and was an X-factor in beating Minnesota in the first round. To say he needs to do that another three times is an understatement because the Avalanche don’t let you beat them down multiple times in a row.
Of all goalies with at least five starts, Binnington’s .959 save percentage is No. 1, and his goals saved above average of 5.16 is the best of all remaining goaltenders. That, right there, is the key for St. Louis in Game 2.
