Lava-hot Blues dispatch Predators
ST. LOUIS -- David Perron scored a goal and had two assists and Jake Allen made 35 saves as the St. Louis Blues beat the Nashville Predators 4-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and Joel Edmundson also scored for the Blues, who improved to 7-0-2 over their last nine games.
Ryan Johansen scored and Juuse Saros made 21 saves for the Predators, who were playing their fifth game in seven days.
St. Louis is third in the Central Division with 93 points with four games left. Nashville has 91 points and is in the second Western Division wild-card slot with three games left.
Edmundson gave the Blues a 4-1 lead midway through the third period with his first goal in 11 games.
The Blues led the Predators 2-1 after two periods.
Tarasenko gave the Blues a 1-0 lead at the 5:22 mark of the first period with his team-leading 37th goal of the season. The tally came just 19 seconds after the Blues had finished killing off a two-man Nashville advantage.
Johansen evened the game with 8:38 left in the first with a power-play goal on Nashville's second two-man advantage of the game.
Blues coach Mike Yeo and most of the Blues' fans thought Viktor Arvidsson of the Predators created the full two-minute, two-man advantage by embellishing a slash from Perron. Edmundson was called initially called for a trip and after the whistle Perron's stick came into contact with Arvidsson, who immediately went down.
Alexander Steen regained the lead for the Blues 55 seconds into the second period. The power-play goal broke a 1-for-16 skid for St. Louis with the man advantage.
Perron made it 3-1 Blues at 6:47 of the second with his second goal in his last three games.
NOTES: Blues D Robert Bortuzzo (upper body) was out after leaving Thursday's game at Colorado in the second period. With D Carl Gunnarsson (lower body) missing his second straight game, the Blues recalled D Petteri Lindbohm and F Kenny Agostino from Chicago in the AHL on an emergency basis ... The Blues have clinched their sixth straight playoff appearance and 41st time in the postseason in franchise history. ... Predators F James Neal (upper body) was out after leaving Saturday's game against Minnesota. ... The Predators also scratched D Yannick Weber, F PA Parenteau; D Brad Hunt and F Harry Zolniercyzk; The Blues also scratched C Jori Lehtera, C Paul Stastny, F Nail Yakupov and Agostino. ... The Predators host the New York Islanders on Tuesday; The Blues host Winnipeg on Tuesday.