ST. LOUIS — It was fun while it lasted. At least some of the time. But the Blues were no match for Colorado. Not Sunday, not this series, not this season.
This season ended with a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Enterprise Center. For the second year in a row, the Blues have been ousted in the first round of the playoffs. And this time they were swept in four games by Stan Kroenke’s hockey team.
Goalie Jordan Binnington has now lost nine straight playoff games, and there are more questions than answers as the Blues enter an offseason of uncertainty.
The season ended with Mike Hoffman in the penalty box for a four-minute high-sticking penalty and Colorado scoring two empty-net goals.
There was some life until that penalty. But just some.
Something strange and wonderful happened at the 4:25 mark of the second period. Vladimir Tarasenko scored a goal. And the Blues took the lead.
It was the first goal of these playoffs for Tarasenko and his first postseason goal since Game 4 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against Boston. He had four goals in 24 regular-season games for the Blues this season, but none since April 26 against Colorado.
Sprung by a long stretch pass from Ryan O’Reilly, Tarasenko skated in on a breakaway and took his time against Avs goaltender Philipp Grubauer before unleashing a roof shot, stick side, into the net. Grubauer had no chance. So after 204 minutes 25 seconds in this series, the Blues had their first lead.
The goal didn’t exactly give the Blues a spark. They were outshot 11-3 over the rest of the second period — and two of those 11 went in the net for Colorado.
With just two seconds left on a power play after Nikko Mikkola was sent off for rushing, Brandon Saad beat Jordan Binnington with a floater stick side to tie the game 1-1. The Blues lead had lasted all of 7 minutes 12 seconds.
Just a little over three minutes later, Colorado had the lead back on — stop if you’ve heard this before — a net-front deflection. Colorado’s forwards have made themselves at home throughout the series in front of the St. Louis net, and this time it was Gabriel Landeskog’s deflection that made it a 2-1 game in favor of the Avs with 5:07 left in the second.
It was more of the same to start the third period. Colorado had three of the period’s first four shots — and one of those three went in to make it a 3-1 game. This time it was Mikko Rantanen scoring off a rush.
The Blues had some numbers, but nobody bothered to pick up Rantanen on the play, even though Colton Parayko was pointing in that direction. (For someone to pick up Rantanen.)
With 15:40 it looked bleak for the Blues. After all, they had scored all of six goals in the series to this point.
But hold on. With 12:31 to play, Tyson Jost’s stick smacked Torey Krug in the chops. Off Jost went for high-sticking, and in the net went a Tarasenko shot from the left circle for a power play goal. So with 11:21 to play Colorado’s lead was down to 3-2.
It was the first multi-goal game for Tarasenko in the playoffs, since Game 1 of the Western Conference second round against Dallas.
It was a tight-checking first period, with neither team generating much in the early going. With under 12 minutes to go in the first, the teams had combined for only three shots on goal — two of them by Colorado.
As the period progressed, the Avs started controlling zone time and slowly accumulating shots on goal. But period’s end the shots were 10-6 in favor of the visitors from Denver. Not included in that total was an attempt by Pierre-Edouard Bellemaire from the left circle that clanged off the post with 2:14 left.
But for the second game in a row, it was a scoreless first period.
