Published April 01, 2017
Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene scored shootout goals, Calvin Pickard had 27 saves through overtime and two more in the shootout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Friday night.
Jake Allen had 31 saves and Ryan Reaves scored for the Blues, who clinched a playoff spot by earning a point.
The Blues are in the postseason for the sixth straight season and are in the hunt for a top-three finish in the Central Division, which would mean avoiding a first-round matchup against a division winner. They have 91 points, three more than fourth-place Nashville and both teams have five games remaining.
The Avalanche ended a seven-game skid with the win and put a damper on St. Louis' celebration. J.T. Compher scored in regulation and MacKinnon also had an assist.
Duchene opened the shootout with a goal, and after rookie Tyson Jost was stopped by Allen, MacKinnon ended it.
Pickard stopped Patrik Bergland and Vladimir Tarasenko in the shootout to give Colorado its first win since March 15.
Reaves scored on a tip in the first period to give St. Louis the lead, and Compher tied it with a power-play goal at 11:49 of the second period.
Mikko Rantanen had a chance to give Colorado the win in overtime, but Allen made a save on his breakaway in the final minute.
NEW BEGINNING
Jost, 19, made his NHL debut after signing an entry-level contract Wednesday. Jost just completed his freshman season at the University of North Dakota and jumped right into the NHL.
Jost, Colorado's first-round pick (10th overall) in the 2016 draft, had 16 goals and 19 assists in 33 games for the Fighting Hawks but is the second player in the program's history to turn pro after one year. He jumped over the boards for his first shift 2:08 into the game with his mother and grandfather watching from the stands.
Jost nearly had his first goal early in the third period. Allen got a glove on his shot from the left circle, and the puck just missed going inside the far post.
NOTES: St. Louis D Robert Bortuzzo suffered an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return. ... Compher's goal in the second period was just Colorado's fourth on the power play in the last 23 games. ... The Blues are 18-7-2 since Mike Yeo took over as head coach on Feb. 1.
UP NEXT
Blues: Host the Nashville Predators on Sunday.
Avalanche: At the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mackinnon-duchene-lead-avs-shootout-win-over-blues-2-1