The Colorado Avalanche play host to the St. Louis Blues for their first home game since trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes. This is the first of four matchups between the division rivals.

Earlier in the week, when Brandon Saad was placed on waivers, St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong indicated he didn’t have any plans to recall a forward from the Springfield Thunderbirds to take his spot.

Welcome to another edition of NHL Predictions! It is the last day of January. The NHL has four games on the schedule today. As always, we will go around the league and examine each game, concluding with our prediction.

The Colorado Avalanche (29-21-2) open a two-game homestand against the St. Louis Blues (23-24-4) on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. MT. READ MORE: Rantanen Deal Signals Change: Why MacFarland Should Be Rewarded With Patience (+) Martin Necas and Jack Drury are set to make their home debuts with the Avs.

In an ongoing search for a center to play the third line, Faksa gets his shot Friday; Blues look to avoid fourth straight loss

In 119 previous regular-season matchups, the Avalanche are 62-44-13 against the Blues. The Avs have won all three playoff series against the Blues, winning 4-1 in the 2001 Western Conference Final, 4-0 in the 2021 First Round and 4-2 in the 2022 Western Conference Second Round.

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues enter the matchup with the Colorado Avalanche after losing three games in a row. Colorado is 29-21-2 overall and 7-8-1 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have conceded 164 goals while scoring 169 for a +5 scoring differential.

The Golden Knights added some scoring depth to their bottom six Friday by signing a two-time Stanley Cup champion to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.

Texier last played on Jan. 14 against Calgary, and was a healthy scratch for the last six games before entering on the top line in Colorado.

The Blues and Brandon Saad mutually agreed to terminate his contract; he will sacrifice his remaining salary for this season and next.

Brandon Saad will be a free agent on Thursday after the sudden news that the player agreed to terminate his contract with the St. Louis Blues mutually. Saad, 32, has struggled this season, scoring nine goals and adding seven assists in 43 games.

The St. Louis Blues are looking for answers after three straight losses. The club is putting a popular player on waivers.