Photo by: (Jeff Curry/NHLI via Getty Images)
Following Christmas break the Blues managed to start things on the right foot with a 3-2 victory against the Dallas Stars.
The Blues trailed 2-1 after the season period, but a late goal and 22 stops from Jake Allen helped the Blues back into the game.
For Dallas, Tyler Seguin notched his team-leading 20th goal of the season.
Following the win, the Blues gain ground on the Central Division leading Stars. St. Louis now sits at 22-11-4 with 48 points. The Blues are six points behind the Stars while Dallas has a game at hand.
After a scoreless first period, the Blues got on the board first in the second period.
Going into the game, the Blues had the sixth best power play in the league. They added to that total with a power play goal by Alexander Steen who ripped a slap shot past Antii Niemi for his 12th of the year. The tally gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead with 13:42 left in the period.
But, the Stars answered back with a pair of goals.
Despite being outshot 17 to seven at the time of the goal, Jamie Benn passed to Cody Eakin who one-touched a pass to Colton Sceviour by the net. Sceviour beat Allen short side for the goal.
Dallas answered again late in the period as Patrick Sharp dumped off a pass to Seguin streaking into the zone. Seguin fired a shot under the right arm and blocker of Allen to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.
Despite totaling a season-high 18 shots in the period, the Blues amassed just one goal.
Then in the third period with the clock winding down under two minutes, the Blues knotted things up at two.
David Backes passed to Jay Bouwmeester as he entered the attacking end. Bouwmeester danced past a defended into the corner and curled past the end line to find Robby Fabbri in the high slot. Fabbri scored for his eighth of the season to make it 2-2 with 1:50 left in regulation.
After a scoreless overtime the game went to a shootout. Both teams scored two out of the first three attempts going to a set of sudden death rounds. Eventually, Backes beat Niemi while Allen closed the door on Vernon Fiddler to seal the win.
The Blues and Stars will meet again, this time at the American Airlines Center, Sunday Dec. 27.
