Graphic By Ryan Leopando – Arch City Sports
Scottrade Center – The St. Louis Blues used a Vladimir Tarasenko hat trick and a four goal barrage in the third period to take the victory over Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings tonight in a home and home series. The game started off immediately with a Jay Bouwmeester penalty just 0:19 seconds into the game, one of six power plays that the Kings had. Marian Gaborik opened up the scoring at the 5:39 mark of the second period in a scrum in front of the Blues net as the puck slid past goaltender Jake Allen. Los Angeles converted on a power play at 11:00 as Gaborik scored his second goal of the game with Petteri Lindbohm in the penalty box for an interference call. But that was the only offense the Kings had as Jake Allen stopped 21 of 23 shots in the game.
Vladimir Tarasenko got the Blues on the board with the first of his three goals at 12:29 with a wrist shot from the slot that got past Quick. Steve Ott and Chris Butler were given the assists on Tarasenko’s 18th goal of the year.
It was all St. Louis in the third period where they scored four goals, three goals in a span of two and a half minutes. Jaden Schwartz tied the game by deflecting Kevin Shattenkirk’s shot at 11:20 while on a five on three power play. Tarasenko found Shattenkirk coming in on the play and took the quick shot with Schwartz in front of the net for the redirection past Quick. Just under two minutes later Tarasenko scored on another Blues power play goal at 13:00 with a quick wrister from the slot off a pass from Alex Pietrangelo to give St. Louis the lead for good. Less than a minute later the Blues started an odd man rush with David Backes, Patrik Berglund, and Alexander Steen. Berglund sent a pass over to Backes on the wing who then slid a pass across the slot to Steen, controlling the pass with his right skate in order to get the shot past Quick. Tarasenko capped off the scoring by completing the hat trick with an empty net goal at 18:36 for his 20th goal of the season.
It was Tarasenko’s second hat trick of the season, and in seven career games against the Kings he now has seven goals. With his four point night, Coach Ken Hitchcock said it best after the game when he explained that “once he scores one, he’s hungry for more.”
The Blues travel to Los Angeles to cap off the home and home series and start their three game road trip out west followed by games against San Jose on Saturday night and back to Colorado on Tuesday night.
Game Notes: Defenseman Carl Gunnarson was scratched for the fourth straight game with a concussion. Forward T.J. Oshie missed the game due to family reasons however is expected to travel west with the team.
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