The St. Louis Blues keep on rolling.
Vladimir Tarasenko's 28th goal of the season kickstarted a four-goal first period as the Blues held on for their fifth consecutive win Saturday, beating the Arizona Coyotes 6-4. With the victory, St. Louis continues to close in on the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars atop the Central Division.
| Team | W | L | OT | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 38 | 18 | 5 | 81 |
| Dallas | 37 | 17 | 6 | 80 |
| St. Louis | 35 | 17 | 9 | 79 |
Alex Steen scored his 17th of the season just three minutes after assisting Tarasenko's goal. Though, Steen's game ended shortly thereafter when he suffered an apparent arm injury after Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton sent him flying into the boards.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Jaden Schwartz added his fourth goal in five games and Carl Gunnarsson scored his second of the season before the first period ended. Patrik Berglund redirected a Scottie Upshall pass for his fifth of the year and captain David Backes added an empty-netter in the final second.
Goaltender Brian Elliott struggled, making just 18 saves on 22 shots. But his effort was still enough for the victory in his 17th consecutive start - a period in which the Blues have won 11 games.
They will look to extend the winning streak to a season-high six games in a game against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
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He can do more than just run his mouth.
Brad Marchand's two goals helped his Boston Bruins earn a 7-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
The goals were the latest in what has been a career season for Marchand who hit the 30-goal mark for the first time since entering the league full time back in 2010.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Brad Marchand has the 5th season of 30+ goals on BOS since 2006. He's on pace for 43 in 77 GP which would be 2nd most by a Bruin since 1994
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 21, 2016
His 30 goals are now two more than his previous career high of 28 which he hit during the 2011-12 and 2014-15 seasons. Meanwhile, he now sits just 10 points shy of his career high of 55 points which he also hit during the 2011-12 campaign.
Despite his offensive breakout, Marchand appears to have stayed true to his roots, remaining a pest on the ice as Patrick Eaves learned Saturday.
Omg Marchand tried to kiss Eaves…I’m crying pic.twitter.com/nOfjOtWnkX
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 21, 2016
Marchand now has 15 goals in his last 16 games.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.