The St. Louis Blues fell for the second night in a row on Monday, losing 6-3 on the road to the 9-7-1 Colorado Avalanche. Jaroslav Halak allows six goals on 23 shots in his worst performance of the season; it was the team's fourth loss in a row since their hot start, and it leaves them reeling in advance of a crucial road game with the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. In the standings it leaves them within a point of surrendering second place in the Central Division to the Hated Chicago Blackhawks.
↵Of course, the Blackhawks happen to have played 20 games so far, the most in the NHL, and it will take the Blues some additional reeling to find themselves 9-9-2. But it's a worrisome development for the club, which finds itself in fifth place in the Western Conference after topping NHL Power Rankings at this time last week. The season's young, but as their goal differential narrows it becomes an open question as to whether this team will be able to adjust in games where the defense isn't as perfect as it was in the early going.
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