After sustaining serious facial injuries from an illegal hit by Tom Wilson in a preseason game, Oskar Sundqvist had more on his mind than just hockey. But in his third game back, Sundqvist made a strong impact by scoring two goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
The 24-year-old Swedish center didn’t expect to return so soon but was relieved to be back.
“I’m just happy to be playing again, and most importantly, that my head is fine,” Sundqvist said.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Bozak, and Colton Parayko also found the back of the net for the Blues. Goalie Jake Allen made 31 saves, earning his first career win against Vegas after going 0-0-2 last season.
“We’re just playing more as a unit,” Allen said after the Blues won consecutive games for the first time this season. “We had our moments before, but in this league, that’s not enough.”
Sundqvist’s second goal of the night came 6:29 into the second period off a pass from Robert Thomas, giving the Blues a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Before this game, Sundqvist had only two goals in 72 NHL appearances.
Blues coach Mike Yeo was not surprised by Sundqvist’s performance.
“We know his potential,” Yeo said. “I don’t expect him to score two goals every game, but he’s playing with more confidence and skating better.”
Colton Parayko added an insurance goal with a powerful one-timer from Ryan O’Reilly at 14:51 in the second period, giving the Blues a 4-2 lead. Parayko’s third goal of the season helped solidify the Blues’ control of the game.
Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals on 26 shots, tying his season high. Fleury, now 5-5-1, also conceded five goals against Philadelphia on Oct. 4.
“Normally, when you give up five goals, you question the goaltending,” said Vegas coach Gerard Gallant. “But tonight wasn’t on him. They could have easily scored 10.”
Vegas cut the deficit to 4-3 with Alex Tuch’s third goal of the season on a power play 8:02 into the third period. However, Bozak quickly responded, scoring his third goal 3:45 later to put the Blues back up by two.
“We got a bit sloppy,” Tuch admitted. “We gave them too many chances, and they capitalized.”
Vladimir Tarasenko netted his team-leading sixth goal early in the second period, tapping in a deflected shot from Bozak to give the Blues a 2-1 lead. Just 23 seconds later, Erik Haula tied it with a shot that slipped through Allen’s pads for his second goal of the season.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored earlier in the first period, making it 1-1 after the Blues failed to clear the puck from behind their net.
Sundqvist opened the scoring just 2:02 into the game, capitalizing on a loose puck and sliding it past Fleury. Robert Thomas assisted on the goal, marking his first career multipoint game.
Game Notes:
Blues LW Robby Fabbri returned to action for the first time since Feb. 4, 2017, after missing 123 games due to two ACL tears. St. Louis has allowed at least three goals in 10 of 11 games this season. Ryan O’Reilly extended his point streak to six games with three goals and eight assists. Vegas is 1-7-0 when trailing after two periods, and LW Jonathan Marchessault has a point in three consecutive games.
Up Next:
- Golden Knights: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
- Blues: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.