St. Louis 2, Winnipeg 1
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 26, 2015
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees:
Graham Skilliter, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Vaughan Rody
Attendance:
15016
By SportsDirect Inc.
Blues 2, Jets 1 (SO): Alex Steen scored the decisive tally in the third round of the shootout as St. Louis opened its five-game road trip by beating Winnipeg for the sixth consecutive time.
Vladimir Tarasenko also tallied in the bonus format and Patrik Berglund scored in regulation as the Blues halted a two-game skid and improved to 8-1-0 in their last nine away from home. Brian Elliott made 30 saves and stopped 2-of-3 attempts in the bonus format to give St. Louis its ninth win in the last 10 meetings with the Jets.
Mark Scheifele scored in regulation and captain Andrew Ladd kept Winnipeg alive by converting in the third round of the shootout. Steen followed by sneaking a backhander past rookie Michael Hutchinson (28 saves), who was a perfect 15-for-15 in the bonus format until Tarasenko beat him in the second round.
Berglund, who absorbed a crushing hit from Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien earlier in the second period, finally broke the scoreless deadlock with 1:49 left in the session. The Blues broke out on a 2-on-1 rush rand Paul Stastny delivered a saucer pass to Berglund, who lifted a shot over the glove of Hutchinson.
Winnipeg drew even just past the three-minute mark of the third as Ladd skated behind the net and fed Scheifele, who beat Elliott to the glove side seconds after St. Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo's stick shattered. Hutchinson denied Jaden Schwartz in front during a power play in overtime and Elliott stoned Byfuglien in the final seconds to send the game to the shootout.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Scheifele's 10th goal boosted his point total to 35, eclipsing his previous career high from last season. ... St. Louis acquired RW Adam Cracknell, who played 65 games in parts of four seasons with the Blues from 2010-14, from Columbus for future considerations. ... C Jiri Tlusty, acquired from Carolina on Wednesday for a pair of draft picks, recorded two shots and two hits in 16:56 of ice time in his Jets debut.
Top Game Performances
St. Louis |
|
Winnipeg |
Patrik Berglund 1 |
Points |
Mark Scheifele 1 |
Patrik Berglund 1 |
Goals |
Mark Scheifele 1 |
Ryan Reaves 1 |
Assists |
Michael Frolik 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Brian Elliott .968 |
Save Percentage |
Michael Hutchinson .966 |
Brian Elliott 30 |
Saves |
Michael Hutchinson 28 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
St. Louis
|
29 |
2 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
8 |
31 |
Winnipeg
|
31 |
1 |
0-2 |
2-2 |
8 |
34 |
Upcoming Games
-
Winnipeg will play their next game at home against Los Angeles. The Jets have a W/L % of .438 after a win and .548 after a loss.
-
St. Louis will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Blues have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .565 after a loss.