The Colorado Avalanche grabbed a 2-1 series lead over the Blues in their 5-2 win earlier tonight. However, this win comes at the cost of one of the Av’s best defensemen. Early in the game, Sammy Girard, a 24-year-old defenseman for the Avalanche, got crumpled into the boards by Ivan Barbashev, a 26-year-old forward on the Blues. Sammy G was taken to the hospital and according to Elliotte Friedman, he is done for the rest of the season with a broken sternum.
Sam has been great so far in these playoffs. He has been all season for the Avs. He played in 67 games, put up 28 points (5G 23A), and averaged 21:38 minutes a game. He blocked 90 shots, 3rd highest number on the Avalanche after Erik Johnson and Cale Makar. So far into the playoffs, he played in 6 games with 3 points (1G 2A) with an average of 20:49 ice time. In tonight’s game, he got to play just 56 seconds before that hit played out. He was a guy they could rely on in almost any situation, he ate up a good chunk of minutes on the ice.
The Avalanche have a long way to go before the Cup and they could have used a guy like Sam on the blue line. They, of course, have a strong defensive squad but Sam was a big part of that. The blood is boiling between the Avs and Blues as the series goes on. That dweeb Binnington allegedly threw a water bottle at Nazim Kadri during tonight’s game. I’ve never been a fan of Binnington so I am hoping Kadri just absolutely lights the Blues up next game for that. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if this game kicks the series into another gear. The Avs and Blues have never liked one another so it wouldn’t shock me if the next game is a bit of a blood bath. I think the Avalanche have some bite in them they have to show as the series goes on. They’re a really tough team and I’d love for that to show a bit more. They have a 2-1 series lead, a teammate to fight for, and enough talent to take the Blues out. I hate to see this happen to a guy like Sam. He gave the Avs his heart all season, it sucks to see him go out like this.
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