DENVER – We’ve made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After 51 games played in the first round, including five game 7s, we can now officially begin the second round.
This was the first matchup to be announced as Colorado swept Nashville and St. Louis finished their series in six games against Minnesota. We now know that the two will start their series this Tuesday, May 17.
The two teams only played each other three times in the regular season. Colorado took the head-to-head series 2-1. The two clubs were fairly evenly matched on the score sheet. Colorado scored 12 goals in three games while St. Louis scored 11.
The last regular season meeting between the Avalanche and Blues saw Colorado come away with a 5-3 victory back on April 26.
Looking at the upcoming series, here are the players to watch.
St. Louis Blues:
Ryan O’Reilly – The former Avalanche was a big presence in their last matchup against Colorado, recording 2 goals and an assist in the 5-3 loss. O’Reilly performed well in the first round, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists in 6 games. He will be a big test for Colorado’s defense.
Jordan Binnington – After a disappointing end of the regular season for the Blues’ goaltender, Binnington has bounced back in his last three games with a .933 save percentage and a 1.67 goals against average. Binnington will need to be able to post these kinds of numbers against Colorado, who managed to score 21 goals in 4 games against Nashville’s goalies.
Colorado Avalanche:
Cale Makar – Makar currently has the 5th most points of all players this post season, even while playing the fewest games. 3 goals and 7 assists in four games puts the Colorado defenseman’s points per game at 2.50. Makar finished the regular season with 86 points, ranking fourth on the team in that category. By comparison, Vladimir Tarasenko lead the Blues in points with 82 during the regular season.
Darcy Kuemper – After leaving game 3 of the Nashville series when a stick hit him in the eye, Kuemper has been cleared to start game 1 on Tuesday. Kuemper posted similar numbers as Binnington in his 3 games so far this postseason. A .934 save percentage and a 1.63 goals against average ranks Kuemper number two for goalies in the playoffs.
Special Teams:
Both teams will need to stay out of the box. Colorado leads the league in power play percentage this postseason with 43.8%. St. Louis isn’t struggling either on the power play. The Blues are 30.8% with the man advantage in six games. St. Louis, however, has been better on the penalty kill with an 83.3%. Colorado a bit worse at 76.8%.
The Blues and Avalanche will start their series at 9:30 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
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