Blues Gameday Preview: First Road Trip Continues vs. Avalanche

The St. Louis Blues continue their three-game road trip to start the 2026-27 season. After starting the season in Texas on Friday night, the Blue Note head for the mountains. Awaiting them are the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche. Welcome to a Blues’ gameday preview for what should be a fun Saturday night clash between two division rivals.

Blues’ Gameday Preview: Blues vs. Avalanche

The Blues and Avalanche meet for the first of four matchups this season. In 2025-26, the Blues dropped two of three games to the Avs. However, their one win was a fun one. On Easter Sunday, the Blues escaped Colorado with a 3-2 win behind a hat trick from Robert Thomas.

The Blues trail the all-time series, 83-88-11-4.

Last Game: Opening Night Win vs. Dallas Stars

The Blues started the new season on a great note, shutting out the Stars, 4-0. Joel Hofer picked up where he left off last season, stopping all 25 Dallas shots. Mason McTavish scored his first goal as a Blue, while Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Pius Suter found the back of the net as well.

Beating a strong team like Dallas is impressive, but even more so because the Blues had to play parts of the game down two skaters. Alexey Toropchenko left the game in the second period and did not return. Also, Brandon Carlo received a major penalty and a game misconduct for kneeing in the third period.

Projected Lineup at Colorado (Subject to Change)

• Dylan Holloway – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud
• Pavel Buchnevich – Mason McTavish – Connor McMichael
• Jake Neighbours – Dalibor Dvorsky – Jonatan Berggren
• Alexey Toropchenko/Dillon Dube/Zach Dean – Pius Suter – Ross Johnston
• Philip Broberg – Adam Jiricek
• Theo Lindstein – Colton Parayko
• Cam Fowler – Brandon Carlo
• Jordan Binnington/Joel Hofer

With the team playing on back-to-back nights, Jordan Binnington is expected to make his first start of the season, despite Hofer’s shutout on Friday. Furthermore, assuming Toropchenko cannot play, either Zach Dean or Dillon Dube will enter the lineup.

Blues’ Team Leaders

With only one game under their belts, there are quite a few ties for the team lead in various categories. Instead of listing all the players tied with one goal, one assist, etc., let’s look at one player with an impressive stat line.

Hofer recorded his first win and shutout of the season on Friday. As a result, his goals-against average (GAA) and save percentage (SV%) remain at 0.00 and 1.000%, respectively. He is also tied for the team lead in assists.

Yes, it is just one game, but for right now, Hofer has contributed more goals for the Blues than he has allowed.

Storyline #1: Binnington Seeking Strong Performance to Start Bounce-Back Season

The Ontario native enters the 2026-27 season in an unfamiliar role as the team’s backup goaltender. Hofer may have taken over the starting duties, but that does not mean Binnington cannot bounce back this season. As he begins a contract season, he can set himself up for the near future with a strong run.

Binnington’s journey to getting back on track starts in Colorado. The 2019 Stanley Cup champion has had some strong performances against the Avs and some not-as-great games. In 27 games vs. the Avalanche, he is 12-14-1 with a 3.16 GAA and a .903 SV%.

Storyline #2: Rest vs. Rust

As mentioned earlier, the Blues are playing their second game in as many nights. It is not a friendly way to start the season, especially going against two of the Western Conference’s powerhouse teams. Unfortunately, they cannot even rely on some rust on the Colorado end. The Avalanche played their first game on Wednesday and enter Saturday with two days of rest.

No one will argue this is a tough hand to open the new season. However, this could be a character test that this young team with new faces could benefit from. If we want an early idea of what this team may be made of, this weekend could provide an indication.

Storyline #3: Special Teams

The Blues’ power play struggled in the preseason, scoring no goals. The goose egg continued after the first game, as they went 0-for-4. However, the penalty kill was impressive, going 4-for-4 against a dangerous Stars’ power play.

To beat the Avalanche, who scored four power-play goals in their season opener on Wednesday, the Blues need their penalty kill to stay productive and limit scoring chances. Furthermore, if the team really wants to move the needle against a Stanley Cup contender, they need to find a way to score with the man advantage.

How to Watch

Puck drops at 8:00 P.M. Central Time. You can listen on 101 ESPN and watch on Blue Note+.

Check in after the game for takeaways from what, hopefully, is a Blues’ victory. Then, tune in Sunday for our first look at the Blues’ standouts of the week.