Road Music: 04/21 at Colorado Avalanche

There's a kind of paranoia that is inherent with being a Blues fan. Nothing can be going good for us or the team without it being the harbinger of something bad right around the corner. It's a hard habit to break. Right now, though, is a good time, and I'm not going to temper it in any fashion. The Blues are thisclose to clinching a playoff spot, something that the Blues haven't done in back-to-back years since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. The Toronto Maple Leafs have clinched their first postseason berth since the 2003-04 season. The Boston Bruins are leading the charge in healing their hometown, with the assistance of other NHL teams and fanbases. Just last night, I watched Detroit lose (albeit in a shootout), adding further damage to their chances of even making the playoffs at all. How can you not believe in something good is around the corner?

Don't Stop Believin' / Journey

The Enemy: All that being said, the Blues cannot let this good cheer and the positive vibes distract them from the task at hand. The Avalanche were eliminated from the playoffs a long time ago, but there is still a competitive heart beating in this team. They will happily take on the role of spoiler for the remainder of their schedule. Despite having the worst record in the Western Conference, they still have a winning record at home, 11-8-3. They've got history on their side, too - you'd have to go back to 04/12/2009 to find the last game that St Louis has beaten the Avs in Colorado.

The Av's scoring (both goals and overall points) is led by P.A. Parenteau (17-24-41), with Matt Duchene right behind (16-23-39). Someone else to watch out for, though, is noted two-way forward Ryan O`Reilly. Despite only playing in 25 games, he is third in Assists and sixth in overall points with a mark of 4-13-17. I'm not sure whether this says more about him as a player, or the team he's on, but it does indicate that he plays a big role.

In net, they will be starting Jean-Sebastien Giguere tonight. He's posted a 4-4-4 record, with a 2.73 GAA and .911 Save%. Their other goalie is Semyon Varlamov, who's gone 10-19-3 with 3.06 GAA and .901 Save%.

Further reading:

Mile High Hockey

Blues vs Avalanche preview

Blues vs Avalanche coverage

Final Verse: After two Sunday morning games in a row, the schedule gives us a break and starts tonight's game at 7 PM St Louis time. The TV broadcast is on NBC Sports Network, and the radio call will be on KYKY Y98.1 FM. The GDT should drop shortly ahead of the puck. Until then, this is your pregame warmup. Gather here, practice your bangity-bang dance, reminisce about the Erik Johnson trade, and start planning your offseason travel ...

ZZ Top - Viva Las Vegas (via radioglava)

LGB!!!!

-CrossCheckRaise