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Stempniak, Legace lead Blues to shootout win vs. Blue Jackets

Jan 10, 2007 - 5:17 AM COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- Lee Stempniak showed the Columbus Blue Jackets how it's done in a shootout.

Stempniak scored the deciding goal in the third round of the shootout as the St. Louis Blues rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jackets.

Martin Rucinsky, who scored the game-tying goal with 7:29 remaining in the third period, and Doug Weight tallied the first two shootout goals for the Blues, who won for the seventh time in their last 10 games.

"For 40 minutes Columbus was probably the better hockey club," Blues coach Andy Murray said. "In the third period we battled harder. We found a way to get it done in the third and the shootout and that's a positive."

After Stempniak skated in and backhanded a shot over the stick of goaltender Fredrik Norrena to give St. Louis the lead in the shootout, Blues netminder Manny Legace came up big.

"Coach puts faith in you to go out there and win the game," Stempniak said. "Obviously Legace came up huge making that save, but I just wanted to make the most of my opportunity."

Fredrik Modin skated in on Legace but had his deke blocked by the goaltender's pad.

"Modin almost stopped," Legace said. "I was just trying to wait him out as much as possible."

Legace made 19 saves for the Blues. He has won his last five decisions against the Blue Jackets.

"We played a great, gritty game," Legace said. "We were sluggish for the first two periods but the boys came out and played a great third period. I wasn't very strong tonight, but they bailed me out."

David Vyborny and Nikolai Zherdev scored in the shootout for Columbus.

Dan Fritche, Manny Malhotra and defenseman Aaron Johnson tallied in regulation and Norrena stopped 21 shots for Columbus, which is now just two points ahead of St. Louis for last place in the Central Division.

"I have to play better and make the stops," Norrena said. "Those are great players on St. Louis but it's up to me to step up in the shootout. They made some great plays to get the goals in the shootout. It would have been nice to get those two points."