Blues trounce Devils, extend winning streak to 7 games
ST. LOUIS (AP) Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev each scored twice and the St. Louis Blues won their seventh straight game, blowing out the New Jersey Devils 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Jaden Schwartz, Ryan O'Reilly, Mackenzie MacEachern and Tyler Bozak also scored for the Blues, whose eight goals were a season high. St. Louis' winning streak is its longest since Jan. 17-Feb. 5, 2015, when it also had seven consecutive victories.
Rookie Jordan Binnington made 20 saves to win his sixth straight start, becoming the second goalie in Blues history with a winning streak of at least six games. Brent Johnson twice won seven in a row in 2000 and 2001. Binnington is 10-1-1 since he made his first career start on Jan. 7.
Pavel Zacha, Kyle Palmieri and Mirco Mueller scored for the Devils, who have lost 10 straight to St. Louis. In the last 16 meetings between the teams, the Blues are 14-2-0.
St. Louis' Vladimir Tarasenko had two assists, extending his point streak to a career-high nine games (seven goals, seven assists).
Keith Kinkaid allowed all eight St. Louis goals, a career high, on 39 shots, and fell to 0-4-1 against the Blues.
The Blues scored three goals on 20 shots in the first period to take a 3-1 lead.
Pietrangelo scored at 5:08 on a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle. The puck hit Jesper Bratt's stick and deflected in.
The Blues went ahead 2-0 93 seconds later. Kinkaid cleared the puck from behind the net, but his pass went directly to the Blues' Robert Thomas, whose shot hit the post. The rebound came to Barbashev, who scored from just outside the crease.
Zacha got New Jersey within 2-1 at 10:30 on a slap shot from the right circle.
Schwartz got his first goal in 23 games - a span of 73 shots - late in the first. He appeared to score again early in the second period, but the goal was disallowed because of goalie interference when Schwartz slid into Kinkaid.
The Blues got three more goals in the second period. O'Reilly got his 21st of the season 30 seconds in on a wrist shot from the top of the slot. MacEachern scored on a breakaway on a pass from Pietrangelo at 6:11. Bozak made it 6-1 when he scored at 15:20.
Each team scored twice in the third period, including Pietrangelo's and Barbashev's second goals. Barbashev's was short-handed.
NOTES: Blues F Pat Maroon went past 500 career penalty minutes when he was given an unsportsmanlike conduct with 2 seconds left in the second period. ... St. Louis improved to 11-2-1 in its last 14 games. ... The Devils fell to 3-7-1 in their last 11. ... New Jersey C Blake Coleman was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Nick Lappin replaced him. ... New Jersey claimed LW Kenny Agostino off waivers Monday after Montreal released him. Agostino started Tuesday's game and got an assist on Zacha's goal.
UP NEXT
Devils: At Chicago on Thursday.
Blues: At Arizona on Thursday.
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