Manson’s goal in OT gives Avs a 1-0 lead over Blues in series

Josh Manson was simply trying to hold his ground near the blueline with players flying at him.

Not on the winning goal — he was that open — but from the group of teammates charging his way.

Manson scored his first career playoff goal 8:02 into overtime, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his return to the net from an eye injury, and the host Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 late Tuesday night in Game 1 of their second-round series.

“I was just looking out because there’s a lot of guys coming at me with a lot of speed,” Manson said of the group hug. “It feels good to get that [win] with your team.”

The play was set up by captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was down low and dished the puck out to Manson. From there, the defenseman sent a liner through a sea of players that went in just over the shoulder of Jordan Binnington.

Valeri Nichushkin and Samuel Girard also scored for an Avalanche team that had a weeklong layoff after sweeping Nashville. It showed early on, too, before they found their stride.

They outshot the Blues by a 54-25 margin, including 13-0 in OT.

The Avalanche also hit three posts and two crossbars.

“We were a real resilient group,” said Landeskog, who had two assists. “We just stressed just keep playing, just keep playing, keep doing what we were doing, creating a lot and it’s just a matter of time. We were able to hem them in and [Manson] put it top shelf.”

Ryan O’Reilly had a first-period goal and Jordan Kyrou tied it late for St. Louis. Binnington kept the Blues close with one sprawling save after another.

He stopped 51 shots to become the fourth different goaltender in Blues history to record 50 or more saves in a postseason game, according to NHL Stats.

Game 2 is Thursday in Denver.