Avalanche score late to salvage 3-3 tie with Blues

ST. LOUIS -- Adam Foote's goal at 9:27 of the third period lifted the Colorado Avalanche into a 3-3 tie with the Blues on Friday night.

Despite the tie, the Avalanche are winless in their last six games (0-3-3).

The Blues are 12-2-3-0 at home and are unbeaten in their last eight games (5-0-3-0) at Savvis Center, where a season-high 20,045 attended Friday's game.

Foote's tying goal was a wrist shot from the left circle and it was just Colorado's second shot of the period.

St. Louis scored twice in its first four shots of the second period to take a 3-2 lead. The Blues tied it at 2 on a power-play goal by Pavol Demitra at 7:43. From just inside the blue line, Keith Tkachuk passed to Demitra, who was skating into the left circle. Demitra one-timed the puck by David Aebischer, who has allowed more than one goal only three times in his last nine starts.

It was a surprise start for Tkachuk, who missed the last three games with an infection in his ankle.

In the slot, Christian Backman took a pass from Doug Weight, who got the puck from Tkachuk. Backman faked left and went right and scored his second goal of the season at 15:24. Weight returned to play after aggravating his groin injury Monday in Detroit and sitting out Tuesday's game in Chicago.

In the game's opening 90 seconds the Avalanche had four shots on goal but St. Louis outshot Colorado 11-10 in the period that ended with the Avalanche leading 2-1.

Colorado scored 46 seconds into the game when Milan Hejduk lifted a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle over the shoulder of goalie Chris Osgood. Joe Sakic assisted on the goal.

The Avalanche made it 2-0 at 11:50 on a power-play goal by Sakic, his 15th.