Jordan Binnington made 27 saves as the St. Louis Blues defeated the visiting Colorado Avalanche 3-1 Sunday.
Brayden Schenn, Colton Parayko and Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues, who had just two victories in their previous nine games.
Jordan Kyrou and Justin Faulk each earned two assists for St. Louis.
Devon Toews scored for the Avalanche and Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves.
The outing was Binnington’s first since helping Canada win the 4 Nations Face-Off title over the United States on Thursday.
The Avalanche took a 1-0 lead with a deflection goal 7:49 into the game. Cale Makar shot the puck from the left point and Toews, his defensive partner, tipped it past Binnington from the high slot.
That was Makar’s 400th NHL point in his 3774th game. Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey are the only defensemen to reach that career milestone quicker.
Nathan MacKinnon had an opportunity to double that lead, but Binnington stopped his partial breakaway with the teams playing 4-on-4.
The Blues sustained pressure late in the first period, but Blackwood turned away shots by Pavel Buchnevich from the slot and Holloway from the high slot.
Blackwood robbed Schenn from point-blank range early in the second period. But Schenn tied the game 1-1 midway through the period by chipping in the rebound of Kyrou’s shot from the slot.
Parayko put the Blues up 2-1 with 5:47 left in the period by driving to the left post to jam in the rebound of Buchnevich’s shot from atop the right circle.
Holloway made it 3-1 with 10 seconds left in the second period with a goal off the rush. He raced up the middle and converted Faulk’s pass from the right wing.
–Field Level Media
