The St. Louis Blues‘ bid to return to Stanley Cup glory two years after their title run hasn’t gone to plan thus far, the club down 3-0 to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.
While the veteran team’s offence running dry has been a key issue — the Blues put up just one goal in Games 1 and 3, and managed three in Game 2 only to allow six from the Avalanche — St. Louis head coach Craig Berube said the officiating during the series so far hasn’t helped.
“The refereeing, I mean every game we get one or two calls,” Berube said after the team’s Game 3 loss on Friday. “It’s usually late in the third period. You know, they’re getting four a game, five — how many did they get tonight, five? I mean, it’s not that lopsided. I’m not sure why we don’t get the calls that we deserve.”
The Blues were granted three power plays in Game 3, once midway through the first and then twice in the latter half of the third period. Colorado went to the power play four times in the game — once in the first period, twice in the second, and once in the third.
Neither club scored on the man-advantage during the game, but Berube pointed to one particular Avalanche goal that came as a direct result of what he viewed as a missed call.
“(Colton) Parayko gets tripped in the corner. They go down, score a goal,” Berube said of Colorado’s third goal of the game, which took the score to 3-0 late in the second period. “On the goalie challenge goal, he gets tripped in the corner, slew-footed, and they don’t call it. And it costs us a goal.
“It’s terrible. It’s so one-sided, it’s not even funny.”
With St. Louis pushed to the brink of elimination early, the two clubs meet for Game 4 on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, the Blues needing four straight wins to keep their post-season bid alive.
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