Flames' Elliott makes triumphant return to St. Louis
ST. LOUIS -- Goalie Brian Elliott celebrated his return to St. Louis by stopping 22 of 23 shots to lead the Calgary Flames to a 4-1 victory Tuesday night over the Blues.
Elliott was playing his first game against the Blues since being traded to Calgary last June. He spent five seasons with the Blues, winning 104 games and helping the team reach the Western Conference final last spring.
Elliott had to stop only 11 shots through the first two periods as the Flames built a 3-0 lead. He lost his bid for a shutout 5:49 into the third period on a 5-on-3 power play after the Flames were called for two minor penalties 17 seconds apart.
Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk got the goal but it wasn't enough to keep the Flames from winning their first game in St. Louis since April 1, 2011, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
The Flames got an empty-net goal from left winger Johnny Gaudreau for the final 4-1 margin.
Playing his first game against the Blues since Nov. 19, 2010, when he was with Ottawa, Elliott followed up a 3-2 shootout win in Chicago Monday night with his second victory in as many nights.
The Flames took advantage of an interference penalty on Blues' center Patrik Berglund to score the game's first goal. Defenseman Dennis Wideman, another former Blue, scored off an assist from ex-Blue right winger Troy Brouwer just nine seconds into the penalty, 3:54 into the game. The goal broke a string of 19 consecutive penalties killed by the Blues.
Defenseman Deryk Engelland increased the lead to 2-0 when he converted a centering pass from left winger Kris Versteeg at 10:30 of the first period, firing the shot past goalie Carter Hutton.
Just 2:16 into the second period, the Flames made it a 3-0 game on a wrist shot by center Sam Bennett.
NOTES: After being a healthy scratch for the last two games, 18-year-old LW Matthew Tkachuk was back in the Flames' lineup for the game in his hometown, where he grew up watching his father, Keith, play for the Blues. Tkachuk can play two more games before Calgary has to decide to keep him on the roster or return him to his junior team. ... D Niklas Grossman also was inserted into the Calgary lineup, with D Jyrki Jokipakka and C Freddie Hamilton the team's healthy scratches. ... C Jori Lehtera, who missed his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury, could return to the Blues' lineup on Thursday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings. ... The Flames return home to play the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.