Eurolanche

Avs tally another home win against Blues

The St. Louis Blues remain very much in the hunt for a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they didn't do themselves any favors Sunday.

Needing a win against the 29th-place Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center, the Blues lost 5-3 for their eighth consecutive defeat in the Mile High City.

Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist for the Avalanche, who haven't lost at home to the Blues since a 1-0 decision on April 12, 2009.

The Blues have three games remaining -- all at home -- starting with a rematch with the Avalanche on Tuesday.

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk scored from the right point on a wrist shot at 8:04 of the third period to draw the Blues within 4-3, but the Avalanche regained their two-goal advantage at 11:54. Chuck Kobasew chased down a bouncing puck near the goal line to the right of relief goalie Jake Allen and managed to chip it through a small opening.

The Avalanche took a 4-2 lead in the second period and chased goalie Brian Elliott as McGinn, with his second goal of the game, and Matt Duchene sandwiched goals around one by the Blues' Jaden Schwartz.

Duchene spun around Blues defenseman Jordan Leopold in the lower portion of the left circle before skating to the net and scoring from a sharp angle at 17:23 for his 17th goal to tie PA Parenteau for the team lead.

Duchene's goal came 23 seconds after Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere robbed Alexander Steen with a save with his left pad.

McGinn gave the Avalanche a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal at 3:10. Ryan O'Reilly poked the puck away from David Perron in the right circle and it slid to McGinn all alone in front for a point-blank shot.

The Blues drew within 3-2 at 6:49 when Schwartz skated to the top of the left circle and wound up a hard shot that skimmed between Giguere's pads. David Backes, who scored a first-period goal, passed to Schwartz after he knocked the puck away from the Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog in the neutral zone.

Cody McLeod continued his late-season scoring spree with his fourth goal in four games and seventh overall with 55 seconds left in the first period to give the Avalanche a 2-1 lead.

McLeod batted the puck inside the right post after Landeskog stole the puck from the Blues' Andy McDonald at his own blue line and passed to Stefan Elliott, who wheeled in the right circle and took a shot that McLeod knocked in.

Elliott had shutouts in each of his three previous road games and had allowed one goal in each of his previous three starts overall.

The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead at 11:48 when Aaron Palushaj's shot from the bottom of the left circle caromed into the net off McGinn's left skate. The goal was allowed to stand following a video review.

The Blues tied the game at 12:42 during a 4-on-4 situation. Backes accepted a long lead pass from Jay Bouwmeester, moved in alone on Giguere and scored his first goal in nine games.

-- by Rick Sadowski for Nhl.com --