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3 weeks later, Avs edge Blues in Gateway City

Feb 23, 2011 - 6:53 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Paul Stastny scored the game-winner with 2:38 left in the third period to help Colorado snap a 10-game losing streak with a a 4-3 win over St. Louis.

This game was a makeup of the February 1 contest that was postponed due to a blizzard that hit the area.

Stastny also had two assists while Erik Johnson, Milan Hejduk and David Jones all scored for the Avalanche, who snapped the longest slide for the club since relocating from Quebec prior to the 1995-96 season and worst overall since a club-record 14-game skid from Oct. 21-Nov. 19, 1990. Peter Budaj stopped 42 shots in the win.

Andy McDonald, Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart all scored for the Blues, who were coming off Monday's 5-3 setback against Chicago. Ty Conklin made 23 stops in the loss.

"We certainly had our chances, but there's some sloppy plays that ended up costing us the game," said Blues forward Alexander Steen. "These are two tough games to lose, especially at home."

This past Saturday, the two teams shook up their rosters with a trade that saw the Blues sending defenseman Johnson and forward Jay McClement to Colorado for forward Stewart and rookie blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk.

With the score tied in the third, Colorado went ahead on Johnson's goal as he got the puck along the left boards, fought his way to the slot and wristed the puck home with 5:06 left in the game for a 3-2 lead.

"Lots of different emotions. I just wanted to make sure I didn't celebrate with the wrong bench," Johnson said. "I wanted to make sure I went by the right side to make the fist pumps. But it was a very wonderful feeling to score against your old team in your old building, in your first game back after the trade."

Stastny added an insurance goal with 2:38 to play as he backhanded the puck home from the slot.

It proved to be fortunate as McDonald got a goal 22 seconds later when a centering pass Nikita Nikitin at the right side went off of McDonald in front.

St. Louis later got Conklin out of the net for an extra attacker, but was unable to knot the game.

Jones scored 3:07 into the first while Hejduk scored on the power play just past the midway mark of the opening frame for a 2-0 lead.

Berglund notched his 16th goal of the season with 6:55 left in the first while Stewart scored for the third time in two games with 2:40 left in the second on the power play to tie the contest.

Game Notes

St. Louis hits the road for a swing in western Canada starting on Thursday in Vancouver...Colorado plays at home on Wednesday against Edmonton...Colorado has taken all three matchups with St. Louis this season and seven straight...St. Louis was 1-for-2 on the power play while Colorado was 1-for-5.