Blues gets early jump on Stars
ST. LOUIS -- Jaden Schwartz capped a three-goal flurry in the first period that sent the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 win Saturday night in their home opener over the Dallas Stars.
Schwartz's goal followed goals by defensemen Carl Gunnarsson and Joel Edmundson and came in a span of 5:00. The win was the sixth in a row by the Blues at home over the Stars.
Five of the Blues' nine goals in their first two games have been scored by defensemen.
Jake Allen lost his shutout bid 2:48 into the third period when John Klingberg scored a power-play goal for the Stars. Allen, who was screened on the play, had stopped Dallas' first 29 shots.
The Stars fell to 0-2 under new coach Ken Hitchcock after losing at home to Vegas on Friday night.
St. Louis moved to 2-0, and for the first time in team history had goals scored by four different defensemen in the first two games of the year. Alex Pietrangelo had two goals and Colton Parayko one in their 5-4 overtime win Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
Gunnarsson started the scoring when his shot deflected off a Dallas skate past goalie Keri Lehtonen at 9:50 of the first period. Edmundson made it a 2-0 lead 1:24 later before Schwartz scored after he was set up in front of the net by Dmitrij Jaskin at 14:50. The three goals came on nine shots.
The Blues responded to the Stars' goal with Vladimir Tarasenko's first goal of the year, just six seconds into a power-play at 8:30 of the third period. Dallas again pulled within two goals on Mattias Janmark's goal at 13:11.
Stars center Martin Hanzal left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury and did not return.
NOTES: Dallas G Ben Bishop was cleared to play after having to come out of Friday night's game when he was hit in the head by a puck, but the Stars kept with their original plan to start backup Kari Lehtonen against the Blues. Bishop, a St. Louis native, is just 1-5-1 in his career against his hometown team. ... The Blues could learn next week when RW Alexander Steen (hand) and D Jay Bouwmeester (ankle) will be ready to play. ... The Stars inserted RW Adam Cracknell into their lineup in place of C Gemel Smith. ... The game was the only home game in the first two weeks of the season for the Blues, who play seven of their first nine games on the road.