STATS     GAME REPORTS Game Summary Event Summary Faceoffs Report Full Play-by-Play TOI - Colorado TOI - St. Louis Roster Report Shot Report

Print

ST. LOUIS (AP) -Rookie T.J. Hensick and Ben Guite scored two goals each, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

Jaroslav Hlinka and Tyler Arnason also scored for the short-handed Avalanche, which was missing stars Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth because of injuries. Wojtek Wolski added a pair of assists for Colorado.

Dan Hinote, Paul Kariya, Andy McDonald and Keith Tkachuk scored for St. Louis. Brad Boyes and David Backes had two assists apiece.

Guite deflected in Wolski's point shot that trickled through the pads of Blues goalie Manny Legace to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead 10:01 into the second period, the third time in the game Colorado grabbed a one-goal advantage.

Peter Budaj made 28 saves in Colorado's 6-4 win over the St. Louis Blues

Hensick's power-play goal one minute into the third period, his second score of the game and third of the season and his career, stretched the lead to 4-2.

The Blues pulled to 4-3 on McDonald's 10th of the season at 6:24 of the third period, one-timing a pass from rookie David Perron.

Tkachuk nearly tied the game with 9:19 to play, but his deflection of Kariya's shot rang off the left goal post.

Arnason regained a two-goal lead for Colorado with his sixth of the season when he beat Legace with 8:44 to play.

Tkachuk's 16th of the season and 489th of his career again brought the Blues back to within one at 5-4 with 7:43 to play. However, Guite's empty-netter with seven seconds left sealed Colorado's win.

Hensick gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead when he tapped in a centering feed from Ian Laperriere for his second goal of the season at 5:28 of the first period. It was Colorado's first shot of the game in a period which produced four goals by the two teams.

Hinote, a former member of the Avalanche, tied the game for the Blues 48 seconds later on a wraparound, sticking in the second attempt at the near post to make it 1-1. It was Hinote's fifth goal of the season and third against his former club.

Colorado regained the lead on Hlinka's sixth of the season at 13:42 on the rebound of a Wolski attempt.

The Blues quickly tied the game again on Kariya's 13th of the season, a power-play goal at 14:34 after one-timing in a shot of Boyes' cross-ice backhand feed from the left circle.

Notes: Legace began the day 12-1-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average and three shutouts in his career against Colorado. ... Sakic (hernia surgery), Stastny (appendectomy) and Smyth (ankle) are all on the injured reserve list. Also, Colorado was without G Jose Theodore, who missed the game with back spasms. ... Before the game, the Blues placed D Christian Backman on injured reserve after suffering a cracked bone in his left foot blocking a shot in Friday's victory over Anaheim. Backman is expected to miss one to two weeks.