Nearly the first two periods of tonight’s preseason game seemed fairly evenly matched, with both Blues goalie Ben Bishop and Avalanche goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere both playing like their goal was a shutout. Neither of the two wound up with one, and only one of the two goaltenders faced a number of quality shots as the Blues defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-1.
David Backes got the Blues on the board at 17:28 with a backhand shot that snuck past Giguere. The Avalanche answered early on in the third period with a goal from Joakim Lindstrom.
Fan favorite T.J. Oshie scored his goal of the game with assists from Andy McDonald and Alex Pietrangelo, who so far this pre-season is showing absolutely no sign of a sophomore slump. The Blues final goal came from Patrik Berglund at 12:28 of the third period with an assist from Barret Jackman. Berglund, after a wildly successful World Championships showing, is expected to have a break out season with the Blues.
Ben Bishop made 18 saves on 19 shots, making the decision for Davis Payne regarding the back up position that much harder. Neither Bishop nor Brian Elliott has given Payne much cause for demotion.
The Blues conclude their preseason with a game at home on Saturday at 1:30 against the Dallas Stars. Fans then must wait a week before opening night on October 8th, when the Nashville Predators come to town.