Blues win 5-3 to hand Blackhawks 7th straight defeat
St. Louis Blues left wing Jakub Vrana (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
CHICAGO — Logan Brown and Alexey Toropchenko scored 38 seconds apart in the second period, and the St. Louis Blues beat the skidding Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Thursday night.
Jakub Vrana, Jordan Kyrou and Brandon Saad also scored for St. Louis. Justin Faulk had two assists.
The Blues, still clinging to playoff hopes, have won two straight and three of four.
It was the seventh consecutive loss for the Blackhawks, who dropped into a tie with Columbus for last place in the overall NHL standings with 54 points each.
Andreas Athanasiou, Tyler Johnson and Boris Katchouk scored for Chicago.
Kyrou took Sammy Blais’ pass from left wing and beat Chicago goaltender Petr Mrazek from the slot for his 34th goal of the season, giving St. Louis a 4-2 lead with 10:35 left.
Katchouk scored 36 seconds later on a deke that fooled Blues goalie Jordan Binnington.
St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington, front left, cannot stop a goal by Chicago Blackhawks center Andreas Athanasiou (89) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Chicago, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
Binnington made the biggest of his 30 saves on Lucas Reichel with 1:45 to play. Saad added an empty-net goal with 1:13 remaining.
Brown and Toropchenko gave the Blues a 3-1 lead in the second. Brown scored his second of the season at 12:59 by tipping Faulk’s 30-foot wrist shot by Mrazek after Blackhawks defenseman Anders Bjork failed to clear the puck.
Toropchenko took a pass from Tyler Pitlick and fired it past Mrazek at 13:37.
Vrana opened the scoring 4:25 into the second, parking in the slot to backhand Saad’s pass by Mrazek.
St. Louis Blues left wing Brandon Saad (20) controls the puck as he looks to pass during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
Athanasiou tied it on a power play midway through the period, propelling the puck into an open net after Binnington bit on Johnson's fake.
Chicago's second goal also came on a power play when Johnson tipped a hard pass from Taylor Raddysh by Binnington just 31 seconds into the third.
Binnington made 30 saves, and Mrazek finished with 24.
RED HOT FOR BLUES
Vrana’s goal gave him nine since coming over to St. Louis from Detroit on March 3, the third-best output in the NHL during that time. Three of his goals have come on the power play. In contrast, Blues leading goal-scorer Kyrou has eight goals in that stretch.
UP NEXT
Blues: Play at Nashville on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Will host New Jersey on Saturday.
