Blues 5, Ducks 2
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues got their offense going on Friday as they moved closer to the top spot in the Central Division.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice late and Paul Stastny, Jori Lehtera and Patrik Berglund added goals to lead the Blues to a 5-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at Scottrade Center.
Jake Allen made 26 saves for St. Louis (40-20-9), which tied its season-long win streak of five games and has won 10 of 13 games. That has helped the Blues move into second place in the Central as well as the Western Conference.
Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell scored for the Ducks (37-21-9), who lost their third straight game after winning 11 in a row. Frederik Andersen made 18 stops in the defeat.
The Ducks scored first, 5:17 into the second period, on a 5-on-3 power-play after the Blues were called for interference (Lehtera) and too many men on the ice.
St. Louis wasn't able to clear a bouncing puck from the low slot and Getzlaf was able to knock a rebound of a shot from Ryan Kesler out of the air and past Allen for his 11th goal of the season.
The Blues tied the score with 3:24 left in the second period when Stastny redirected a long pass from Carl Gunnarsson for his seventh of the season.
St. Louis then scored twice in the first 2:59 of the third period.
Lehtera scored his ninth of the season on a snap shot from the left circle after a pass from Jaden Schwartz 1:55 into the period.
Then Berglund scored his seventh of the season with a wrist shot from the slot, just 1:04 later, after a turnover by Ducks defenseman Josh Manson, to make it 3-1.
Rakell was credited with his 18th goal with 4:33 remaining after Troy Brouwer's clearing attempt ricocheted off the skate of Stastny and past Allen.
Tarasenko added an insurance goal with 2:38 remaining and then scored an empty-netter with 1:22 left, his 31st and 32nd goals of the season.
NOTES: The Blues announced before Friday's game they had signed D Carl Gunnarsson to a three-year contract extension worth $8.7 million. ... The NHL rescinded the game misconduct penalty Blues RW Ryan Reaves received from a charging major against Chicago on Wednesday. ... Ducks C Shawn Horcoff was eligible to return from a 20-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use but was a healthy scratch against the Blues. ... With his goal on Wednesday, Blues C David Backes tied Al MacInnis for sixth on the Blues' all-time scoring list with 452 points. ... Blues RW Troy Brouwer played in his 600th NHL game on Friday against Anaheim. ... Blues C Steve Ott (lower-body injury) skated with the team for the first time on Friday morning. He has not played since Dec. 5. ... The Ducks begin a three-game homestand on Monday against New Jersey. ... The Blues play at Dallas on Saturday.