The St. Louis Blues walked into a rough one against the Colorado Avalanche and left with a 6-1 loss that never felt close.
Colorado, last season’s Central Division champs, had St. Louis on its heels from the opening stretch, and the Blues never found a way to steady themselves.
A lot went sideways for St. Louis.
The offense didn’t match the level it showed against Dallas, Philip Broberg and Colton Parayko had trouble containing Nathan MacKinnon, and the overall picture was ugly. But the night really turned on Jordan Binnington, whose performance behind the Blues net was the kind that can define a game.
He stopped 30 of 36 shots, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story. Colorado kept coming, and Binnington couldn’t slow the Avalanche’s pace or shot volume enough to keep the Blues in the fight. Even with Joel Hofer in the crease, the result likely wouldn’t have changed much.
The biggest damage came when Binnington handled the puck poorly, something that has usually been one of his strengths. In this game, it backfired twice. The first one, against Artturi Lehkonen, was especially rough.
OH NO! Binnington tries to pass the puck, but Lehkonen with great hand eye coordination bats it down and scores 😳🚨 pic.twitter.com/uJB4SxHmFv
- B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 4, 2026
The loss leaves St. Louis in a tough spot. The Blues had hoped for more from Binnington, but now the team looks like it can lean only on Hofer, who likely would have started if not for the second night of a road back-to-back.
And for Binnington, this may be the moment that closes the book on his Blues run. Even a string of solid outings against weaker opponents wouldn’t change much, because the games that mattered most for him were always the ones against elite teams like Colorado. Those were the nights when he usually delivered.
Instead, this one could stand as one of the worst losses of his Blues career.
In Other News...
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Slotted on the second line with T.J. Tynan and Aleksanteri Kaskimki, Carbonneau looked comfortable enough to factor into the attack right away. For St. Louis fans tracking a prospects first steps at the next level, it was an encouraging early sign, even if the bigger picture for his season is still just beginning to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Face An Early Roster Test After Toropchenko Injury
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The opening, though, may not stay open long. With Toropchenko sidelined, the Blues are expected to have a chance to bring Dillon Dube back into the NHL mix after his time in the KHL and AHL, giving the club a familiar option to plug into the bottom six while it waits for more clarity on Toropchenkos recovery. For a team trying to settle its lines early, the next few weeks should reveal a lot about how it handles that kind of attrition. [Read more 🡒]