Preview: The St. Louis Blues (43-30-8) host the Utah Hockey Club (38-30-13) with the chance to make the playoffs after missing the last 2 seasons. If they win in regulation…they're in. Anything but that, and they'll need help from other teams to lock up their spot. The Blues enter Tuesday’s game on an 11-game home win streak, which is the longest in franchise history and tied for the longest home win streak in the NHL this season.
The lineup looks the same up front…Dylan Holloway is still out. Philip Broberg is back in on defense and Tyler Tucker sits for more experienced players. Jordan Binnington playing in another must win game…Karel Pavelka for Utah.
Former Blue Robert Bortuzzo is playing for Utah for the first time since early January…could this be his final NHL game? At the first timeout, a video celebrating his 10-year Blues career.
Blues explode for 4 goals in the 1st period…
Five minutes into the game, and the Blues have the only two shots on goal…forechecking hard against Utah…defensemen activating and going deep into the Utah end.
Jimmy Snuggerud with a breakaway and looks five hole and a save…rebound to Brayden Schenn and he scores! At 8:08 in the period, the Blues are up 1 to 0. Pavel Buchnevich with the 2nd assist as he sprung Snuggerud on the break. Schenn’s 18th on the season.
Blues go up 2 to 0 at 11:17 into the period with great work in the Utah end…Cam Fowler with the keep at the blueline…Robert Thomas to Jake Neighbours to a wide-open Pavel Buchnevich, who fires it into an empty side of the net for his 20th goal of the season. Thomas has assisted in 11 straight games.
A couple of skirmishes led to a Blues power play with 5:57 left. And the Blues make it 3 to 0 with 5:15 left…Jimmy Snuggerud gets his 1st NHL goal by sticking in the blue paint and buries the rebound off a Buchnevich shot/pass. Zack Bolduc with the 2nd assist.
Blues back to the powerplay with 3:07 left…and then a delay of game penalty gives the Blues a 5 on 3 advantage for 1:06. Unable to score on the 5 on 3…but with 47 seconds left in the period…With a blast from the high slot, Zack Bolduc makes it 4 to 0…his 19th goal…Thomas and Fowler with assists. The last rookie with 20 goals was Patrick Berglund…can Bolduc get his 20th?
WOW!! What a start…4 goals on 12 shots…with 2 powerplay goals. 5 shots for Utah.
Utah dominates the 2nd…only scores once
Utah called for tripping 3:03 into the period…back to the powerplay for the Blues…3 shots on the PP and it remains 4-0.
Utah gets a powerplay 5:34 into the period and 14 seconds into the PP. St Louisan Clayton Keller cuts the lead to 3 with a one-timer…his 30th… that beats Binnington over the shoulder. It was their first shot of the period. 4 to 1 Blues.
At the halfway point of the 2nd period the Blues with 20 shots and Utah with 8.
Blues back on the penalty kill with 8:46 left in the period. Utah with 5 shots on the PP, but Binnington made several excellent saves to keep the 3-goal lead.
Blues are called for delay of game and Utah is back on the powerplay with 5:01 left in the 2nd period. Only 1 shot allowed on this PP.
Utah pressures hard as the 2nd period ends…shots for the Blues after 2 are 21 to 19 for Utah …4 to 1 where it counts.
Blues add on in period 3…
The Blues are 34-2-1 when leading after 2 periods…
The Blues go to the power play with 13:29 left in the period as Radek Faksa draws a tripping penalty. 28 seconds into the PP, some great passing…Jake Neighbours with a steal, a pass to Oskar Sundqvist, who drops a pass to Schenn, who finds Jordan Kyrou, who makes no mistake for his 35th goal. 5 to 1 with 13 minutes left.
Utah back to the powerplay with 12:29 left in the period. No shots allowed on the PP…Blues are strong on the kill.
Mathieu Joseph draws a tripping penalty, and the Blues are back on the power play. For some reason, they give Joseph a 10-minute misconduct, as he got tangled up with the Utah player who tripped him…who also got a 10-minute misconduct…8:55 left in the third period. The Blues have no shots on the PP.
5 MINUTES!!! Blues maintaining their 4 goal lead…with 2:36 left the icing on the cake goal by Jordan Kyrou off a rebound of an Alexi Toropchenko rebound for his 36th goal of the year. Fowler with the 2nd assist, and it’s 6 to 1. And the Blues are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs and will face the Winnipeg Jets.
Blues with 29 shots and Utah 23. Binnington with 22 saves.
Notes: Thomas left the game with a lower body injury...35-18-7 under Montgomery.