Blues 3 - 5 Avalanche
Final
  for this game

Avalanche overwhelm playoff-hopeful Blues

Apr 22, 2013 - 4:54 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche took down the St. Louis Blues, 5-3, in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Cody McLeod, Matt Duchene and Chuck Kobasew each scored a goal for the Avalanche, who have won eight straight at home against St. Louis.

"It was nice to get one right before the end of the (first) period," McGinn said. "It's a momentum-shifter and a booster for the locker room. We could feel the energy in here and the energy in the crowd tonight, and we wanted to build off it."

Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 29 saves for Colorado, which went 2-1-1 on a four- game homestand.

David Backes had a goal and an assist for the Blues, who came into the game needing just one point to clinch a playoff spot. Jaden Schwartz and Kevin Shattenkirk also lit the lamp.

Brian Elliott stopped 15-of-19 shots before being pulled for St. Louis, which sits sixth in the Western Conference. Jake Allen turned aside 11-of-12 shots in relief.

"We just didn't play as good as a team. That's not how we wanted to play and obviously it's frustrating not getting a win and clinching a playoff spot like we had a chance to do tonight, so that's what's frustrating," Elliott said.

The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead at the 11:48 mark of the first period when Aaron Palushaj's shot from the bottom of the left circle deflected off McGinn's skate and into the net.

Just over a minute later, Backes accepted a pass from Jay Bouwmeester before beating Giguere with a wrist shot.

McLeod put Colorado back in front with 54.3 seconds left in the opening frame. Stefan Elliott's backhander from the bottom of the right circle was knocked in by McLeod.

McGinn gave the Avalanche a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal at the 3:10 mark of the middle stanza.

At the 6:49 mark, Schwartz's slap shot from the top of the left circle cut the gap to 3-2.

Duchene scored from a sharp angle at the 17:23 mark to make it 4-2 Colorado.

Shattenkirk scored from the right point at the 8:04 mark of the third period to get the Blues within 4-3, but Kobasew lit the lamp for the Avalanche at 11:54.

Game Notes

St. Louis went 14-9-1 on the road this season ... Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson missed his fourth straight game with a hand injury.






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