Puckdrop is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. MT)
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
This is a Central Division matchup and the first of four meetings this season.
Broadcast options include ESPN+, Altitude (COL market), Blue Note+ / STLNHL (Blues market), and team radio networks.
Current Rosters
St. Louis Blues (coach Jim Montgomery):
Forwards: Robert Thomas (C), Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, Pavel Buchnevich, Mason McTavish, Connor McMichael, Jake Neighbours, Dalibor Dvorsky, Jonatan Berggren, Pius Suter, Ross Johnston, others.
Defensemen: Colton Parayko, Philip Broberg, Cam Fowler, Brandon Carlo, Adam Jiříček, Justin Barron, Theo Lindstein, others.
Goaltenders: Jordan Binnington, Joel Hofer.
Colorado Avalanche (coach Jared Bednar):
Forwards: Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Artturi Lehkonen, Gabriel Landeskog (C), Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, Jaden Schwartz, Parker Kelly, Nicolas Roy, others.
Defensemen: Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Brent Burns, Josh Manson, Sam Malinski, Noah Juulsen, others.
Goaltenders: Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood.
Projected lines
STL: Holloway – Thomas – Snuggerud; Buchnevich – McTavish – McMichael; Neighbours – Dvorsky – Berggren; (Toropchenko or depth) – Suter – Johnston.
COL: Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Necas; Landeskog – Nelson – Kadri; Schwartz – Svechkov – Hughes; Kelly – Roy.
Injury Reports
Blues: Alexey Toropchenko (upper-body/undisclosed, day-to-day or out short-term after injury in the opener). Tyler Tucker (knee, IR). Logan Mailloux (hand, IR). Others on IR-NR possible.
Avalanche: Logan O’Connor (lower body, out). Zachary L’Heureux (lower body, out). Trent Miner and Georgii Merkulov also listed on IR-NR in some reports. Core stars healthy.
Recent Team Forms
St. Louis Blues: Opened 1-0-0 with a convincing 4-0 road shutout of Dallas on Friday. Joel Hofer made 25 saves (ninth career shutout). Goals from Mason McTavish (debut), Dalibor Dvorsky, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Pius Suter (empty-net). Strong defensive structure on the second half of a back-to-back.
Colorado Avalanche: Opened 1-0-0 with an offensive explosion, 8-4 home win over Los Angeles on Wednesday. Nathan MacKinnon scored twice; strong power-play production (four PP goals) but allowed two short-handed goals. Rested after two days off.
Series History
Colorado has generally held the edge in recent regular-season meetings. The Avalanche were dominant at home last season against many Central foes. These clubs meet four times in 2026-27. Martin Necas has strong historical production vs. St. Louis (multiple points in limited career games). High-event, skilled matchups are common.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Nathan MacKinnon / Martin Necas / Artturi Lehkonen (COL top line) vs. STL defense (Parayko, Broberg, Fowler, Carlo) and Jordan Binnington: Colorado’s elite speed and skill against a physical, structured Blues blue line.
Robert Thomas / Dylan Holloway / Jimmy Snuggerud / Mason McTavish (STL attack) vs. COL defense (Makar, Toews, Burns) and Scott Wedgewood/Mackenzie Blackwood: Blues’ emerging skill and structure testing Colorado’s star defensemen.
Special teams: Avalanche’s potent power play (hot early) vs. Blues’ disciplined PK; short-handed vulnerability for COL noted in the opener.
Depth and physicality: Landeskog/Kadri/Nelson middle six vs. Buchnevich/Neighbours groups; physical bottom-six play involving Johnston and Kelly/Roy.
Colorado enters as the clear favorite with superior star power, home ice, and rest. St. Louis is riding momentum from a shutout but faces a tough back-to-back travel test.
Betting Trends
Home favorite with elite offense after a high-scoring win; road underdog on a back-to-back after a strong defensive showing.
Game Odds
St. Louis Blues 6
Colorado Avalanche – 275
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 2, 2026
