Thomas gets 1st hat trick, lifts Blues past Avalanche

Thomas completed the hat trick with 2:50 remaining in the third period. Jimmy Snuggerud skated in on a 2-on-1 rush, toe-dragged a sliding Martin Necas and passed backdoor to Thomas, who buried the puck behind Mackenzie Blackwood.

Snuggerud and Dylan Holloway each had three assists for the Blues (33-31-12), who went 2-1-1 on a four-game road trip and are 6-1-1 in their past eight overall. Joel Hofer made 26 saves.

St. Louis moved three points back of the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Parker Kelly also scored for the Avalanche (50-16-10), who were coming off a 2-0 win at the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Blackwood made 25 saves.

Colorado remained eight points ahead of Dallas for first place in the Central Division and Western Conference with five games remaining.

The two teams will play again in St. Louis on Tuesday.

Thomas gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead at 12:01 of the first period when he one-timed Snuggerud’s centering pass top shelf past Blackwood’s blocker from the high slot. Snuggerud gained possession at the right side of the crease during a scramble for the puck before feeding Thomas.

Kelly tied it 1-1 at 15:10 of the first with a redirection of Burns’ point shot that ricocheted off the left leg of Blues defenseman Cam Fowler and past the glove of Hofer. The goal was his 20th of the season.

Burns put Colorado in front 2-1 at 3:40 of the second period, scoring with a wrist shot from the right point that made it through traffic and under Hofer’s blocker.

Thomas responded 29 seconds later to tie it 2-2, taking a pass from Holloway on a rush and scoring glove side from the bottom of the right circle. The play came nine seconds after Hofer stopped Nathan MacKinnon on a breakaway.

Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin didn’t play due to an upper-body injury.