Tarasenko riding historic playoff scoring pace
Vladimir Tarasenko's penchant for scoring hasn't been deterred by the playoffs.
The St. Louis Blues forward now has 13 goals in 17 career postseason games after notching two more in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Among players with at least 15 playoff GP, @tara9191's 0.76 playoff goals per game avg is the best in NHL history. pic.twitter.com/xeOlZEUqsK
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) April 20, 2016
It's a small sample size - Wayne Gretzky posted an NHL-best 0.59 goals per game in 208 playoff games - but Tarasenko's accomplishment is impressive considering he's only 24 years old.
The Blues signed him to an eight-year, $60-million extension last summer, and he's delivered since, leading the club in regular-season goals (40) and points (74), and pacing the team with three goals and two assists in four first-round games.
Tarasenko authored a three-point night in Game 4 on Tuesday night as the Blues put the defending Stanley Cup champions on the brink of elimination by taking a 3-1 series lead.
"I think (Tuesday night) might have been his most complete game of his NHL career," Blues captain David Backes told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after the game.
Tarasenko also leads the Blues with 17 shots on goal in the series, nearly twice the amount of the next closest teammate - defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk - who has nine.
The dynamic winger's dominance is a major reason the Blues are within a single victory of advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in four years.