After scoring just three goals in their previous four games, the Blues had their own Mardi Gras celebration on Saturday night at Scottrade Center, scoring three goals in the second period and getting another stellar effort from goalie Brian Elliott in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.
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Stastny, along with Jori Lehtera and Troy Brouwer, picked up a goal and an assist apiece. It was the first time the Wild had allowed two power-play goals in a game since November 17.Stastny capped the big period with his sixth goal of the year, unassisted at 16:51, by jamming the puck past goalie Devan Dubnyk.
These teams have essentially played three one-goal games, with Vanek scoring a late empty-net tally in a 3-1 victory on New Year’s Eve. Lehtera scored off a rebound of a shot by left winger Robby Fabbri, the puck going in off his ankle.
“I think certainly there comes a time where if we continue down the path that we’re going, we need to make some changes”, Yeo told reporters Saturday morning.
In the middle stanza, though, the Wild tied a franchise record with 24 shots on goal, outshooting the Blues 24-8 in the 20-minute stretch.
St. Louis earned its first regulation win in four tries against the Wild and improved to 8-3-1 in its last 12 at home. After failing to score on their first power play Saturday, extending their futility streak to 24 without a goal, the Blues scored on three of their next five.
Tarasenko’s power-play goal at 2:47 of the second gave the Blues a 1-0 lead and broke an 0-for-24 slump for St. Louis on the man advantage. “This group, the coaches and players have won a lot of games, they know what it takes, and I’m looking to our leadership group right now to step up and I’m looking for the players to play the right way and I’m confident that we’ll get there”. “It happens sometimes during years and you just got to stay working and find a way out of it”. “You could nearly hear the collective sigh on the bench (after Tarasenko’s goal)”, said assistant coach Brad Shaw, who spoke to the media instead of Hitchcock after the game. The Wild hope that the Blues will cure what ails them as they are 2-0-1 against the Blues this season.
“It’s tough to sleep at night, it’s hard to let it go on days off, but this is the situation”, Dubnyk said. NOTES: Wild D Jonas Brodin is expected to miss three to six weeks because of a broken foot sustained in Thursday night’s game…. Pietrangelo has at least 20 assists in each of his first five full National Hockey League seasons….
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The Wild announced that Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker will both be scratched for their game against the Blues. Zucker has 11 goals this season, but only two since January 1 and none in his past 11 games.
