-Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/NHLI via Getty Images
For the first time this season, the Blues have lost two straight home games after a 5-2 loss to Montreal.
Defensive breakdowns and four goals allowed by Jake Allen on just 23 shots faced sealed the victory for Montreal.
After the loss, the Blues are now 38-18-4 and nine points behind the division-leading Nashville Predators. Chicago also gained ground on St. Louis and sits three points behind the Blues.
In the first period Alex Galchenyuk got his first of the game after both teams failed to put up much offense combining for just eight shots in over 13 minutes. Andrei Markov controlled the puck along the blue line and sent a pass across the line to P.K. Subban. Subban sent a low shot on net that Galchenyuk tipped past Jake Allen to make it 1-0.
Galchenyuk wasted little time in the second period as he netted his second of the game and 18th of the season just 3:11 into the period. Jori Lehtera lost the face off to Lars Eller. The puck slid back to Galchenyuk curling to the right of Allen, and shot from a tough angle past Allen to make it 2-0.
St. Louis struggled at the face-off dot at just 40.3 percent on 64 attempts.
The Blues wasted little time to respond, however. Moments after St. Louis’s power play expired, T.J. Oshie threaded a pass across the ice in the offensive zone to Vladamir Tarasenko. Tarasenko one-touched the pass to David Backes right on the edge of the crease. Backes scored on Carey Price for his 20th of the season to cut the lead in half with 13:59 remaining in the second period.
Backes is now the third player after Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz to score 20 goals this season for the Blues.
Despite outshooting the Canadiens 16-12 with under five minutes left in the second period, an offensive turnover by Tarasenko gave Montreal an opportunity to extend its lead.
Following the turnover, Brendan Gallagher carried the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone on a two-on-one with David Desharnais. Gallagher decided not to pass as Alex Pietrangelo cut off the passing lane. Gallagher sent a low shot past the right pad of Allen extending the Habs’ lead to two with 4:11 left in the period.
The floodgates opened.
Galchenyuk added to his point total with a pass from his own defensive zone past the reach of Carl Gunnarsson and Ryan Reaves to Micheal Bournival in all alone. Bournival scored high past Allen for just his third goal of the season to make it 4-1 just :49 after Gallagher’s goal.
The goals also came quickly for the Blues as T.J. Oshie netted his 17th of the year off the feed from Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo with under three minutes remaining in the period.
Despite Oshie’s goal late in the second period, Gallagher added his second of the game, this time on the power play, to seal the game for Montreal 5-2.
St. Louis looks to snap its two-game losing streak on the road against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. CT.
