Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn came through in the shootout, securing a 3-2 triumph for the St. Louis Blues over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.
Kyrou and Schenn were also instrumental in regulation, each finding the back of the net as St. Louis (35-29-3) clinched its third consecutive victory. Jordan Binnington stood tall with 22 saves during regulation and overtime.
“We’ve been on a good streak lately,” Kyrou remarked. “These games are crucial for us as we approach the most critical part of the season.”
Both the Blues and the Wild (33-27-8) are embroiled in a playoff battle in the Western Conference, vying to catch up with the Vegas Golden Knights for the final wild-card spot. The Golden Knights are set to face off against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon.
“We were aiming for two points, but we’ll take the one,” said Minnesota coach John Hynes. “We didn’t execute well enough to secure the win tonight.”
Kirill Kaprizov notched a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which had won five of its last six games. Marco Rossi also contributed a goal, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves up to the end of overtime.
Robert Thomas and Jake Neighbours were unable to convert their shootout opportunities for the Blues before Schenn and Kyrou sealed the deal. Matt Boldy managed to score Minnesota’s lone shootout goal.
“It’s disappointing to concede a point, but when they leveled the score at 2-2, I thought we remained composed and ultimately secured the win in the shootout,” commented interim Blues coach Drew Bannister.
Fleury, who has started Minnesota’s last four games, made 16 saves in Thursday’s 2-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks, achieving his 75th career shutout.
“Wins are always more enjoyable,” Fleury remarked. “I feel like the shootout was my responsibility. It’s one-on-one, and I feel like I should save them all. I shouldn’t have allowed two in a row.”
The Blues took the lead on Kyrou’s power-play goal at 5:49 of the second period. Neighbours delivered a slick pass across the crease to Kyrou, who netted his 21st goal of the season.
“That was an incredible pass; we had it scouted a bit and managed to exploit their defense,” Kyrou reflected. “I remember watching (Fleury) in the playoffs back in 2012 when I was a kid. It’s pretty surreal to be playing against him now and scoring against him.”
Thomas collected an assist for his 300th career point, boasting a tally of 81 goals and 219 assists. The Blues extended their lead to 2-0 just 27 seconds into the third period with Schenn’s 14th goal. It marked his first goal since Jan. 28.
“It feels good to contribute on the scoresheet,” Schenn admitted. “Sometimes, you just have to keep grinding and working hard when things aren’t going your way.”
Minnesota responded quickly, with Rossi cutting the deficit to 2-1 at 1:10 of the third period.
“They scored to make it 2-0, and we needed to respond,” Rossi acknowledged. “That goal shifted the momentum in our favor, and we kept pushing.” Kaprizov tied the game at 2 with 3:59 remaining in the third period, continuing his impressive form.
Kaprizov has recorded nine goals and four assists during a seven-game point streak, bringing his season totals to 35 goals and 41 assists in 61 games overall. “Kirill is in top form right now,” Hynes praised.
