Preview: Blues at Avalanche

[March 31, 2017]  The St. Louis Blues are on the verge of clinching a postseason berth following a sizzling stretch in which they have earned 23 out of a possible 26 points over the past 13 games. The rampaging Blues, riding an 11-1-1 hot streak, will make their third visit to the Mile High City this month when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

St. Louis leads Nashville by one point for third place in the Central Division and could wind up as one of the wild cards, but coach Mike Yeo has only one concern. "Just focus on our job, and we want to make the playoffs, but we want to make sure that we're a good team going in," Yeo said. The Blues have limited the league-worst Avalanche to five goals in winning the past five meetings, including the two trips to Colorado earlier this month. The Avalanche have dropped seven in a row and nine of 10 and have 20 points fewer than Arizona, the second-worst team in the league.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), Altitude (Colorado), NHL.TV

ABOUT THE BLUES (42-28-6): Forward Patrik Berglund scored one goal and set up another, giving him 22 tallies on the season to match his career high established in 2010-11. The Avalanche had a hand in helping Berglund reach that plateau -- he scored twice in St. Louis' 4-2 over Colorado on March 21 and also tallied in a 3-0 shutout at the Pepsi Center on March 5. Vladimir Tarasenko failed to score in three meetings against the Avalanche this season but has pumped in eight goals in the past 12 overall.

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (20-53-3): With only six games remaining, Colorado could get a glimpse at the future as early as Friday after 2016 first-round pick Tyler Jost signed a three-year entry-level contract. Jost, who had 16 goals and 19 assists in 33 games in his freshman season at the University of North Dakota, will be in the lineup if visa issues are resolved. "I’ve dreamed about this my while life," Jost said after deciding to play one year in college. "I thought why not take it, this was my dream.”

OVERTIME

1. St. Louis has permitted a total of 19 goals during the 11-1-1 tear.

2. Colorado is 3-for-56 on the power play over its past 22 games.

3. The Blues are 18-7-1 since Yeo replaced Ken Hitchcock on Feb. 1.

PREDICTION: Blues 3, Avalanche 2

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