Benjamin Hochman: Binnington did his part, but the Blues need to awaken their offense before it's too late

DENVER — If the Blues are going to win this series — or even a game in this series — they must find a way to unlock some offense. That starts in the neutral zone and with crisper passes and disciplined attacks — something, anything to put the Avalanche defensemen on, you know, the defensive.

Here at Ball Arena on Monday, there was a disheartening dismantling of the St. Louis offense, already fractured with the loss of David Perron. The Blues lost Game 1, 4-1, because Colorado’s superstars made magic, but the Blues also lost the game because they only had the lone goal. And worse, only a few more scoring chances the entire game. The Blues finished the night with 23 shots — the Avs had 18 in the first period alone.

“They're competitive — they pace around you and swarm you with numbers,” Blues coach Craig Berube said of Colorado’s defensemen. “We’ve got to be better, we’ve got to be harder in the battles and we’ve got to compete for those pucks (in the offensive zone). And when we get opportunities, we’ve got to get more pucks shooting the net.”