*10* SPECIAL on Colorado Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche will host the St. Louis Blues on Friday night, and my money is on the home team. Home ice has been key in the series recently, as the hosts have won four of the last five. Colorado appears to be catching the Blues at a good time.

1. Injuries - The Blues #1 goaltender Jake Allen has been sidelined by a knee injury since January 8th, and he's not expected to return any time soon. His backup Brian Elliot has been solid in relief, but he might have a short-handed defense corps in front of him tonight. St. Louis only dressed five healthy defensemen in Wednesday's game at Detroit.

2. Semyon Varlamov - He's not having a great season, but he's coming off consecutive brilliant performances. He stopped 63-of-65 shots in wins over Winnipeg and Buffalo. He's 2-0 with a 1.94 GAA against St. Louis this season.

3. X-Factor - The Avalanche are 5-1 in their last six home games.

Selection: This is a play on the Colorado Avalanche (10*)