Fowler lifts Blues to blowout win over Blackhawks in Winter Classic
Cam Fowler scored twice in his 1,000th NHL game as the St. Louis Blues thumped the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
The Blues acquired Fowler in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 14.
St. Louis has won all three games it's played in the annual event, including a pair of wins over Chicago. The Blackhawks have lost all five of their appearances.
"Those tickets aren't cheap," Chicago phenom Connor Bedard said postgame, according to The Athletic's Mark Lazerus. "I feel bad for our fan base, coming out to this and laying an egg."
Bedard added that he felt the Blues "dog-walked" his team in the outdoor affair.
Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno wasn't happy either.
"It's just embarrassing to lose 6-2 in an environment like that," he said.
Jordan Kyrou, Justin Faulk, Dylan Holloway, and Alexandre Texier also scored for the Blues, while Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi provided the offense for Chicago.
Hall said the loss needs to be "a huge wake-up call on how hard we have to play," per The Athletic's Scott Powers. The veteran forward added that the type of game they're playing shouldn't be a factor - while hitting the Blue Jackets with a stray.
"It doesn't matter if it's on an outdoor game, or a national TV game, or a Tuesday in Columbus," Hall said. "Teams are going to play hard. We had no match for that (Tuesday night)."
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington made 28 saves in the victory. Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek gave up all six goals on 28 shots in a losing effort.
The Blackhawks sit last in the Central Division at 12-24-2. They've dropped five consecutive games. Chicago has lost by four or more goals in three straight contests for the first time since 1987, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope. The Dallas Stars beat them 5-1 on Sunday, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated them 6-2 on Friday.
St. Louis improved to 18-17-4. The Blues had the sixth-best points percentage in the Central (.513) at the end of the game.