Colorado\u2019s regular-season conquest of the Western Conference will have to wait.\n<\/p>\n
With the chance to clinch the Central Division and the top seed in the Western Conference on Sunday, the St. Louis Blues ruined the moment by beating Colorado 3-2 at Ball Arena. St. Louis\u2019 top line dominated, and Robert Thomas posted his first career hat trick, including the game-winner with just under three minutes left to bury Colorado.\n<\/p>\n
The Avs, playing without Valeri Nichushkin on Sunday due to an upper-body injury and also still without Cale Makar<\/a> due to an upper-body injury, couldn\u2019t muster enough finishing touch on offense. Then, its defense wilted in a critical moment to seal the defeat.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe gave up too many odd-man rushes,\u201d Avs head coach Jared Bednar said. \u201c(The first goal) was because we\u2019re disorganized coming into our zone because they had numbers beating us up the ice. Odd-man rush on the second one, odd-man rush on the third one, and that can\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Bednar said there\u2019s a possibility Nichushkin is back on the ice for Colorado\u2019s next game on Tuesday in St. Louis.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to be playing guys hurt if it can get worse,\u201d Bednar said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we did today with Val.\u201d<\/p>\n On Sunday in front of a sold-out Easter crowd, both teams squandered a couple opportunities early, including Nathan MacKinnon missing a one-on-one and then the Blues also whiffing on a similar chance. Neither mustered a shot on net in those scenarios.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI just couldn\u2019t finish (all game),\u201d MacKinnon said. \u201cIt was one of those nights. Felt good, legs felt good, just couldn\u2019t find the spots.\u201d<\/p>\n About 10 minutes through the frame, the Avs briefly took the lead when Ross Colton batted a rebound out of the air and into the net off a deflection from the weak side. But upon video review on a St. Louis challenge, Colorado was offsides, negating the goal.\n<\/p>\n A few minutes later, St. Louis took control off a chaotic sequence in the front of the Colorado net. MacKenzie Blackwood made three saves at close range, but the Avs couldn\u2019t clear the puck, and Thomas made them pay with a slap shot from the slot. That beat Blackwood on the top right shelf.\n<\/p>\n