Blues nip Avs, win team-record 12th straight game

Robert Thomas had a goal and three assists as the St. Louis Blues edged the visiting Colorado Avalanche 5-4 on Saturday night for their team-record 12th straight victory.

Zack Bolduc scored twice for the Blues (43-28-7, 93 points), who improved to 19-2-2 in their last 23 games.

Jake Neighbours and Pavel Buchnevich also scored for St. Louis. Cam Fowler has three assists, and Jordan Binnington made 35 saves.

Ross Colton, Miles Wood, Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Malinski scored for the Avalanche (47-27-4, 98 points), who suffered just their second regulation loss in their last nine games.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 17 saves.

The Blues needed just 49 seconds to take a 1-0 lead. St. Louis received a power play in the game's first minute and capitalized when Thomas set up Bolduc's goal from the low slot.

Neighbours made it 2-0 by driving to the net and converting Thomas' pass from behind the net at the 7:41 mark.

The Blues increased their lead 61 seconds into the second period. Jimmy Snuggerud shoveled a pass to Buchnevich for his uncontested reach-around shot.

Bolduc scored his second power-play goal at 8:53 of the period. Once again, he took a pass from Thomas from the left flank and scored from the slot.

Colton broke through for Colorado with 4:28 left in the period. He drove to the net and converted Logan O'Connor's pass from the right wing.

Wood cut the Avalanche's deficit to 4-2 just over two minutes later, scoring from point-blank range off Charlie Coyle's pass.

With Blackwood off the ice for an extra attacker, MacKinnon cut the lead to 4-3 with 2:18 left with a shot off Blues defenseman Justin Faulk.

Thomas made it 5-3 with an empty-net goal with 30.1 seconds left. He extended his point streak to eight games; he has four goals and 15 assists during that span.

Malinski scored at 19:51 to cut Colorado's deficit to one goal.

--Field Level Media