The St. Louis Blues open their season at Ball Arena on Saturday, looking for their first win while the Colorado Avalanche try to build on a wild 8-4 rout of the Los Angeles Kings. Puck drop is set for 9 p.m. ET in Denver, the first meeting of the season between these two Central Division rivals. Colorado sits at 1-0-0 after a high-scoring week, while St. Louis enters at 0-0-0 to begin its 2026-27 campaign.
The Blues vs. Avalanche opener also marks the first test for a retooled St. Louis blue line against a Colorado offense that has found the net early.
Blues vs. Avalanche game information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Blues App, BN+, Altitude Sports
- Series: Series starts 10/3
By the numbers
- Record: Avalanche 1-0-0, Blues 0-0-0
- Goals (first game): Avalanche 8, Blues 0
- Shooting percentage (preseason): Avalanche 27.6%
- Save percentage (first game): Avalanche .871
- Average goals against (first game): Avalanche 4.00
- Faceoff percentage (preseason): Avalanche 36.2%, Blues 49.4%
Colorado outlook
Colorado checks in at 1-0-0 after five preseason games, including a 4-1 win over Utah, a 3-1 loss at Winnipeg, a 5-2 win over the Jets at home, a 2-0 loss at Utah and an 8-4 win over Los Angeles on Oct. 1. Colorado has posted a 27.6% shooting rate so far, which helps explain the goal binge, but their .871 save percentage and 4.00 goals-against average signal defensive issues that St. Louis could look to exploit.
Colorado also owns just a 36.2% faceoff win rate, a number that could cost the them possession time against a Blues team winning faceoffs at a 49.4% clip. Winger Artturi Lehkonen leads the club with two goals, while Brock Nelson paces Colorado with three points through the early slate. They are already thin up front and in net: Zachary L’Heureux (lower body) and Logan O’Connor (lower body) are listed as questionable, with Mackenzie Blackwood expected to start in goal.
Goaltender Trent Miner and center Georgii Merkulov are also on injured reserve, with return dates projected for Oct. 10 and Oct. 7, respectively.
St. Louis outlook
The Blues’ puck-possession profile is clear: they win 49.4% of faceoffs, a significant edge over Colorado’s 36.2% rate that could control play on Saturday.
Jordan Binnington is projected to start in net for St. Louis. The blue line received a boost when general manager Alexander Steen recalled defenseman Adam Jiricek from AHL Springfield and claimed defenseman Justin Barron off waivers from Nashville on Sept. 27, according to NHL.com.
St. Louis is without defensemen Tyler Tucker (left knee surgery, projected return Nov. 12) and Logan Mailloux (hand surgery, projected return Nov. 25), plus winger Felix Trudeau (undisclosed, projected return Oct. 10), all on injured reserve.
Key matchup
Colorado’s suspect goaltending numbers against St. Louis’ possession game could decide this one. The Avalanche have allowed 31 shots against while posting just an .871 save percentage and a 4.00 goals-against average, even with a win in the books.
If the Blues can control draws and limit odd-man chances the way their faceoff numbers suggest they can, they may generate enough sustained offensive-zone time to pressure a Colorado defense that has already given up 31 shots in one game.
Conversely, if the Avalanche keep shooting at a 27.6% clip, their finishing could outpace whatever structural advantage St. Louis builds through puck possession.
What to watch
Both clubs sit in the crowded Central Division, where Utah, Colorado and Minnesota have already banked two points apiece and St. Louis is one of four teams still searching for its first win of the season. A road victory would get the Blues on the board early in a division that looks tightly bunched through the opening week.
For Colorado, extending its 1-0-0 start while nursing injuries to L’Heureux, O’Connor, Miner and Merkulov will test its early-season depth. Both Blackwood and Binnington are projected starters; their status will be confirmed closer to puck drop. The additions of Jiricek and Barron give St.
Louis more depth on the blue line entering the opener. Read more: Blues vs. Stars: 5 injuries give Dallas a huge opening test and NHL Kicks Off 2026 With Rookie Tournaments.Heureux, O’Connor, Miner and Merkulov will test its early-season depth.
Reporting from NHL.com and Sporting News contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
