The wait is over. After more than a week without Colorado Avalanche hockey, the burgundy and blue are set to hit the ice Thursday evening against the St. Louis Blues. This will be the Avs first game in over a week due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the locker room.
While the team will be back in action against the Blues, the squad is not currently at full strength.
Joonas Donskoi, Mikko Rantanen and Philipp Grubauer are all out for Thursday’s matchup and are currently on the COVID-19 Protocol list. Additionally, Matt Calvert and Bowen Bryam will not play against St Louis.
Devan Dubnyk will be in net for Colorado as the Avalanche look to pick up right where they left off last week. The Avalanche enter this game on a four-game win streak to pair with a record of 21-3-3 over the last 27 games.
The boys are back 😎#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/NY2iOAwUuT
— Mile High Sports (@MileHighSports) April 22, 2021
While shutting down operations in the middle of the season is never ideal, it allowed the team to catch their breath and gear up for the home stretch of the NHL regular season leading up to the playoffs.
St. Louis beat Colorado in the first game of the season, but the Avalanche have gone onto win the next four head-to-head matchups against the Blues. Interestingly enough, the Avs last game before the COVID-19 shutdown was against St. Louis, with Colorado earning a narrow 4-3 victory.
The Blues are currently in a rut. Losers in nine of their last 11, St. Louis is in punching distance of a playoff spot, but they will need to string together some sharp offensive play down the stretch should the franchise want to make the postseason.
Puck drop for tonight’s game is set for 6 p.m. MST. Go Avs Go!