<p>ST. LOUIS — Ryan Graves had a goal and two assists, Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves, and the Colorado Avalanche used a three-goal second period to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Friday night and take a 3-0 series lead in their first-round West Division matchup.</p>
<p>Alex Newhook scored his first NHL goal, and Tyson Jost, Brandon Saad and J.T. Compher also scored for the Avalanche, who can complete a series sweep Sunday in Game 4 in St. Louis.</p>
<p>Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues, and Jordan Binnington made 21 saves.</p>
<p>Graves broke a scoreless tie at 1:57 of the second period. Graves, who had just gotten out of the penalty box, beat Binnington in a race for a loose puck in left circle and chipped it in the empty net.</p>
<p>Newhook made it 2-0, burying a rebound off a slap shot by Graves with 7:23 left in the second.</p>
<p>Colorado added to its lead with 3:52 left in the second on a diving swipe of the puck by Jost, finishing off a rush moments after Grubauer got in front of a point-blank chance for Jordan Kyrou.</p>
<p>The Blues unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference — giving the Avalanche a power play. But Bozak scored a short-handed goal just nine seconds into the penalty kill to cut the Colorado lead to 3-1.</p>
<p>Grubauer was stellar from the start, making 25 saves in the first two periods and several more in the third period as a desperate Blues team tried to come back.</p>
<p>Saad’s second goal of the playoffs with 6:18 left in the third sealed the win for the Avalanche. Compher added an empty-net goal.</p>
<p>REPEAT OFFENDER</p>
<p>Avalanche C Nazem Kadri was suspended eight games for his check to the head of Blues D Justin Faulk in the third period of Game 2.</p>
<p>This is the sixth time Kadri has been suspended in his 12-year career, the most recent being a five-game suspension in the 2019 playoffs as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a hit on Boston Bruins F Jake Debrusk.</p>
<p>Kadri was given a match penalty for the hit on Faulk, who didn’t return and was scratched with an upper-body injury on Friday.</p>
<p>THIN BLUE LINE</p>
<p>Along with Faulk, the Blues lost Robert Bortuzzo (upper body) after a hit from Jost, leaving St. Louis with just four defensemen to finish Game 2.</p>
<p>With Faulk and Bortuzzo out for Game 3, St. Louis was forced to play Steven Santini and Mitch Reinke. Santini played in just three regular-season games and Reinke played his lone NHL game in 2018.</p>
<p>PANDEMIC PLAY</p>
<p>The Blues allowed 9,000 fans, nearly 50% capacity, for the game. It was the largest percentage increase since St. Louis began its home schedule on Jan. 18.</p>
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