The St. Louis Blues visit the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, and both teams are trying to break out of slumps. St. Louis (23-24-4) has lost three in a row, falling further back in the Western Conference playoff race as the NHL season heads toward the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

When the calendar turned to January, the St. Louis Blues were in the mix for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. January would provide key stretches that could have made or broken their season.

The St. Louis Blues and Brandon Saad have agreed to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract, which would make him a free agent and able to sign with any team in the NHL.

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

When the Blues lost to the Canucks on Monday night, it was the first time under coach Jim Montgomery that they lost three straight in regulation.

The St. Louis Blues have put veteran forward Brandon Saad on waivers with the intent of sending him to the minors. General manager Doug Armstrong said Saad would be assigned to Springfield of the American Hockey League if he clears or be playing for a different NHL team if he is claimed.

With their season on the line, the Blues are 1-4 in their last five games, and no one seems to have the solution.

Brandon Saad will be placed on unconditional waivers by the St. Louis Blues on Thursday with the purpose of terminating his contract.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Doug Armstrong wanted to make clear that stepping to the podium on Tuesday wasn't a state of the union address for the St. Louis Blues, a day after the team went winless during a three-game homestand and dropped a game under .500 (23-24-4).

After recovering, he turned in a 5.40 ERA and 1.88 WHIP across 25 innings at St. Paul and will likely remain an organizational depth piece for his new organization.

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.