ST. LOUIS — Zack Bolduc shone with two goals during power plays, and Robert Thomas contributed a goal alongside three assists, leading the St. Louis Blues to a thrilling 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. This victory extended their record-breaking winning streak to an impressive 12 games.
St. Louis is riding high with the NHL’s longest winning streak of this season and has also triumphed in 11 consecutive home fixtures. Adding to their success, Jake Neighbours and Pavel Buchnevich found the net for the Blues, while goalkeeper Jordan Binnington produced 35 saves, equaling the club’s home victory record with 10 straight wins.
On the opposing side, Colorado saw goals from Russ Colton, Miles Wood, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sam Malinski. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood recorded 17 saves for the Avalanche.
Bolduc quickly set the pace by scoring his first goal just 49 seconds into the match after receiving a pass from Thomas in the slot, dispatching a wrist shot past Blackwood. Neighbours followed this up with a goal at 7:40 in the first period. Buchnevich then capitalized on a backhanded shot at 1:01 into the second period, with Bolduc scoring again at 8:53, extending their lead to 4-0.
However, the Avalanche clawed back with goals from Colton and Wood toward the end of the second period, narrowing the gap to 4-2. Thomas then sealed the deal for St. Louis with an empty-net goal in the final 30 seconds.
Takeaways from the match reveal Colorado’s four-game win streak came to a halt, with their only two defeats in their last nine matches being against St. Louis. The Blues, meanwhile, saw Thomas extend his point streak to eight consecutive games, boasting three goals and an impressive 16 assists in this timeframe, and topping the NHL with 30 points since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
An essential moment of the game was Binnington’s impressive performance, managing 17 crucial saves during the first period alone, and successfully defending 12 shots across three Colorado power-play attempts.
Statistically, post the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Blues have soared to an exceptional 18-2-2 record, securing the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference with the leading number of wins (18) and points (38) across the NHL.
Looking ahead, the Avalanche will welcome the Golden Knights on Tuesday night, while the Blues are set to face the Jets on Monday night in Winnipeg.