Paul Kukla Kukla's Korner
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How The St. Louis Blues Can Beat The Colorado Avalanche
from Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
Wait, you’re telling me a team once beat the Avalanche not just in a playoff game but in an entire playoff series?
After Colorado’s first-round sweeps of the Blues and Predators the past two years — and the Game 1 domination of the Blues this year in the second round — it’s sure hard to believe. But it happened. The Vegas Golden Knights ended the Avs’ postseason in the second round last season.
So to win this year’s second-round series, the Blues must look to the Vegas series for clues.
“Their forecheck really turned it around for them,” Blues coach Craig Berube said Wednesday of the 2021 Golden Knights. “They were good in the forecheck and didn’t give up odd-man rushes. They nullified (Colorado’s) attack. And it starts with the forecheck, 100%.
“Our forecheck was not very good last night. We didn’t get numbers in there. We didn’t stall pucks. And when you don’t do that, they’re up the ice quickly. ... We were probably a little bit on our heels at times, you know? Too cautious. You’ve got to be smart, but you’ve got to be aggressive.”