Jordan Binnington made a season-high 50 saves, leading the St. Louis Blues to a much-needed 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night, ending the Blues’ seven-game winless streak.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sammy Blais, and Jake Walman scored for St. Louis, which snapped an 0-6-1 slide and secured its first home win since an overtime victory against San Jose on February 18.
“It was embarrassing to lose so many games in a row,” said Tarasenko. “We have some tough opponents ahead, and we’re fighting for the playoffs. Our goal now is to go on a winning streak, so there’s no need to dwell on this game.”
Binnington’s 50 saves surpassed his previous season-high of 42, which also came against Vegas on January 24 in a 5-4 overtime win.
“I wasn’t aware of how many saves I had,” Binnington said. “We worked hard to keep them to the outside and cleared out the rebounds.”
Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves but suffered his third consecutive loss.
“You can’t give them a two-goal lead early,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “We dominated them on Monday, but it was naive to think they wouldn’t come out strong tonight.”
Blues Strike Early
Tarasenko gave St. Louis an early lead 48 seconds into the game with his third goal of the season.
“It’s always good to score early,” Tarasenko said. “I’m still getting my timing back after being out for so long.”
Blais doubled the Blues’ lead at 7:21 in the first, roofing a pass from David Perron over Fleury’s glove for his fourth goal of the season. Blais had been a healthy scratch in the Blues’ last three games.
Walman Seals the Win
Jake Walman added an insurance goal—his first in the NHL—with 6:27 left in the game, making it 3-0.
“I kind of blacked out when I scored,” Walman said. “It was a great play by our forwards to get the puck deep. Kyrou’s shot set it up perfectly, and I was fortunate to finish it.”
Vegas’ Nicolas Roy spoiled Binnington’s shutout bid with a goal at 15:44 in the third, his second of the season.
“We got a big goal from the fourth line, which was important,” said Vegas coach Pete DeBoer. “We knew St. Louis was going to play hard.”
Fight Night
Midway through the first period, Kyle Clifford and Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves, marking Clifford’s fourth fight of the season, the most on the team.
Scratches and Lineup Changes
Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, while forward Mike Hoffman sat out for the second time in five games.
For Vegas, Chandler Stephenson returned after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Alec Martinez scored twice on Monday and was a late scratch. Vegas dressed 12 forwards and only five defensemen.
“It’s tough when you’re missing a guy like that,” Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore said. “It means more ice time for the rest of us, and we all had to step up.”
Up Next
- Golden Knights: Host Arizona on Friday night.
- Blues: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
