Colorado’s attack came in waves at Ball Arena on Saturday, with Martin Necas driving the Avalanche to a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. Necas scored twice and added an assist as Colorado opened the season 2-0-0 and reached six goals for the second straight game.
Key takeaways
- Martin Necas posted two goals and one assist, while Nathan MacKinnon set up three Colorado scores.
- Nicolas Roy, Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson each recorded a goal and an assist.
- Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 25 shots for the Avalanche.
- Dalibor Dvorsky supplied St. Louis’ lone goal, and Jordan Binnington made 30 saves.
- The Blues fell to 1-1-0 one night after a 4-0 victory at Dallas.
A six-goal Colorado surge
Cale Makar put Colorado in front 4:09 into the opening period, completing a sharp sequence started by MacKinnon from the left circle. MacKinnon found Necas in the slot, and Necas slipped a backhand feed across the crease for Makar, who tucked a wrist shot inside the right post.
The Avalanche doubled the lead at 13:12. After Lehkonen disrupted Robert Thomas’ attempt to clear along the right boards, MacKinnon moved the puck across ice to an uncovered Necas. The forward fired from inside the left circle and beat Binnington on the glove side.
Manson made it 3-0 at 5:38 of the second period. His one-timer from the blue line changed direction off Jonatan Berggren’s stick and floated past Binnington’s blocker.
Colorado kept pressing. Lehkonen intercepted Binnington’s pass from behind his own net at the right circle and snapped a low shot beyond the goaltender at 11:40. Roy then took Parker Kelly’s drop pass in the left circle and beat Binnington short side at 18:02.
Necas capped the outburst just 23 seconds later. Binnington went behind the net to play the puck, but it skipped past his stick and landed with Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog centered it for Necas, who deposited a backhand into the open net from the top of the crease.
Dvorsky gets St. Louis on the board
The Blues avoided the shutout 2:34 into the third period when Dvorsky tracked down a loose puck in the high slot and sent a backhand past Blackwood’s glove.
That was the only puck to beat Blackwood in a game Colorado controlled from its early Makar goal onward. The Avalanche have now started with consecutive high-scoring wins, with their leading skill players and supporting cast both filling the scoresheet at Ball Arena.
