ST. LOUIS — Keith Tkachuk and David Perron scored on a two-man advantage in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues withstood a Minnesota Wild flurry in the third period to hold on for a 5-3 victory Sunday night.
David Backes also scored on a power play, Brad Winchester and Brad Boyes added goals, T.J. Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo each had two assists, and Chris Mason stopped 19 shots. The Blues tied the Wild for 10th place in the Western Conference, rebounding from a 5-2 home loss to Detroit on Saturday.
Andrew Brunette, Stephane Veilleux and Marc-Andre Bergeron scored for the Wild, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in Dallas on Saturday night. Niklas Backstrom stopped 25 shots in the first two period, and Josh Harding made six saves in the third.
St. Louis was 3-for-7 on the power play after going 7-for-53 in its last 15 games.
Backes opened the scoring with 5:16 left in the first period, a power-play goal that had to be reviewed. Backes, who scored his 23rd of the season, was able to bat a puck in that flopped over Backstrom and in. Backstrom complained to the officials that the Blues’ Andy McDonald slashed at his glove trying to make a save as McDonald swung to bat the puck in. The review was to see if McDonald touched the puck with a high stick. Replays showed he didn’t and the goal stood.
The Blues added two more with the man advantage in the second period, with Tkachuk making it 2-0 at 6:37, redirecting McDonald’s centering feed past Backstrom, and Perron roofing a wrister from the left circle at 8:08 to make it 3-0.
The Wild’s Cal Clutterbuck received a double-minor for high sticking at 4:56, followed by Marek Zidlicky’s delay of game penalty at 6:13 to give the Blues a full 2-minute 5-on-3 power play.
Brunette got the Wild within two at 3-1, scoring on a backhander off scrum in the crease with 5:02 left in the second. But Winchester restored the Blues’ three-goal with 30 seconds to go in the period. It was Winchester’s 12th of the season.
Veilleux got the Wild back within two again at 4-2 with a goal at 7:50 of the third period, his 11th of the season, and Bergeron pulled the Wild within one at 4-3 with 5:36 left, but Boyes scored an empty-netter with 50.7 seconds to play.
Notes: Backes has five goals and nine points in his last seven
games. … Mason is 15-6-4 in his last 15 games with three shutouts after starting the season 3-13-1. … Backstrom played in his 59th game of the season, breaking the team record of 58 set by Manny Fernandez in 2005-06 and tied by Backstrom last season.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
