DENVER, Colo. — Jordan Binnington and his fueled optimism after winning the Four Nations Face-Off helped propel his St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday afternoon.

Binnington recorded 28 saves in the win, while Colorado just couldn’t find more than one way to beat him. St. Louis extends its win streak to nine games amidst a great chase into the postseason. Colorado’s task to catch the Dallas Stars was made much more difficult coming down to the wire.

First Period

Both teams started with some high-flying action. St. Louis had two early point-blank chances denied, while Nathan MacKinnon had a breakaway find iron. Cale Makar followed suit with a great chance with Binnington down and out. But Oskar Sundqvist was one of two defenders to block the puck out of play.

St. Louis would be the ones to strike first. With Jack Drury off for delay of game, Zack Bolduc netted his 16th of the year with a one-timer past Mackenzie Blackwood.

St. Louis almost got a second goal just moments later, but Brayden Schenn couldn’t beat the netminder. However, it wouldn’t take long for the Avs to respond soon after. At 12:09, MacKinnon corralled a bouncing puck home to even it back up with his 30th goal of the season.

Colorado carried the momentum throughout the rest of the period but couldn’t find the twine again. The second line in particular had some glorious chances. Cale Makar had a great look with a shift in the final 30 seconds, but also was unable to convert. It kept the score knotted at one heading into the break.

Second Period

Both teams held strong in an even positional battle. They all played a defensively strong period, with Colorado only edging ahead in the shot count 14-13 halfway through the game.

At one point, both the Avs and Blues were held without shots for over 10 minutes. The only great chance in that stretch came from Logan O’Connor, who found the post with his shot after a great Makar shift.

Colorado had a late power play when Brayden Schenn tripped up Sam Malinski. It ended the Avs’ shotless streak, but they were stonewalled from finding the net. Right as the man advantage expired, Binnington made a spectacular sliding save on Ross Colton to keep it level with 20 minutes to go.

Third Period

Colorado put themselves behind the eight-ball with two penalties by Colton and MacKinnon. While they managed to hang on and kill off both of them, the damage was done to swing momentum back in favor of the visitors.

Pavel Buchnevich would be the beneficiary of said momentum. In his first game back from illness, he pounded home the rebound in front of Blackwood, which just got over the line.

A third penalty in the period for Colorado would be called on Malinski for high-sticking, but it would be killed off. St. Louis continued to hold off the Avs and get everything in the way. It was shown when the Avalanche had a phenomenal first line shift with several chances from Jonathan Drouin, MacKinnon, and Makar. But they got in front of all of them.

The same mantra continued in the closing minutes, and Blackwood on the bench. Drouin was denied by the shoulder of Binnington, and he was able to close down Makar’s golden opportunity as the buzzer sounded. St. Louis managed the 2-1 win for a ninth straight victory, snapping a four-game win streak for Colorado and an 11-game win streak at Ball Arena.

Observations from the Mountaintop

Both teams came out flying, and it seemed as though it’d be a fun one all afternoon. It very easily could’ve been more than one-all after the first period. But breakdown of plays and great goaltending, particularly by Binnington, hurt. Rather, both teams grinded each other down in the middle frame and slowed everything down. Each team had 11 shots in the first period, while they combined for only 10 shots altogether in the second – three for St. Louis, seven for Colorado.

With this game being oh-so-close, it would be special teams making the difference. Colorado found itself in the box too many times, whereas the Blues were only down a man once. Furthermore, St. Louis scored both on the power play, and the Avalanche couldn’t score on its one opportunity. Ultimately, 5-on-5 play was too much for Colorado to overcome. While the visitors couldn’t do much either at even strength, they took the opportunities given to them.

This is a pivotal win for St. Louis, who are looking to not only keep their spot in the playoffs, but chase down the Minnesota Wild. Both the Avs and Blues are some of the hottest teams in the league, and one of their win streaks was going to end, harming the other in their respective playoff races. Colorado now remains five points back of the Dallas Stars, who play later Saturday night. St. Louis moves to 89 points and is within four of the Avs. Meanwhile, the Wild, who are playing as of the publishing of this article, can pull within four points with a win at 89 points themselves. While it still seems all-but certain it will be a rematch between Colorado and Dallas, things may turn on a dime in the final eight games for the Avs.

Next Game

The four-game homestand wraps up on Monday night with a visit by Nazem Kadri and the Calgary Flames. Puck drop is at 6:30 p.m. MT.