In Denver Sunday, the St Louis Blues got a strong effort from Jake Allen who made 27 saves in a 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The shutout was Allen’s third of the season and his 14th in the NHL.
“I felt good out there,” said Allen, who lost his previous four starts. “We didn’t give much and I played solid.”
Late in the third period Allen was struck in the throat with a puck and needed medical attention on the ice.
“I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “It zapped me. My throat’s still killing me. It’s tough to talk.”
St Louis was on a five-game skid before the win.
Paul Stastny, Kyle Brodziak and Patrick Berglund scored goals for St Louis as the Blues improved to 32-27-5.
The loss was the Avs’ fourth straight and they have been blanked far too many times this season, 11 in all.
“Painful, there’s no other way to describe it,” Colorado’s Matt Duchene said. “It’s not fun. I wish I had an answer for you, man, I wish I did. It’s hard to even get good shots on net. We just don’t execute enough when we have opportunities, to strike and make things happen. We don’t get good looks.”
The Blues jumped into the second wild card spot, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
“The game was pretty much what we expected as coaches. We were nervous about this game. There’s still an awful lot of skill on that side. I don’t think they’re playing for a whole lot other than pride right now and that’s dangerous when you’re playing against teams like that,” St Louis head coach Mike Yeo said.
WATCH: All Blues vs. Avalanche highlights
Jeremy Smith took the loss on saves as the Avs dropped to 17-44-3.
And there is simply very little life left in the roster. The trade deadline last week left the team mostly intact with many of the big name players still struggling with no apparent interest from the rest of the league.
And no wonder when their own head coach sees little motivation.
“It’s really tough getting motivated as a group to compete at the level we need to every night,” Avs head coach Jared Bednar said after the loss.
You must be logged in to post a comment.