Panthers 0 - 7 Blues
Final
  for this game

Halak passes Hall, as Blues rip Panthers

Oct 6, 2013 - 4:23 AM St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Jaroslav Halak stopped all 19 shots he faced to set a new franchise record, as the St. Louis Blues blitzed the Florida Panthers, 7-0, at Scottrade Center.

Halak earned his first shutout of the season and 17th career whitewash with the Blues, eclipsing the mark of 16 previously held by Hall of Fame netminder Glenn Hall from 1968-71.

Brenden Morrow got the Blues going with an early power-play goal and the home team tacked on four more in the second period. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz and Derek Roy all netted goals within a span of 3:41, while Alex Steen backhanded home a penalty shot late in the period for a 5-0 margin.

Ryan Reaves and Patrik Berglund scored early in the third to produce the final margin.

"We probably don't have that superstar talent, but it's a grinding team that is solid throughout," Morrow said. "Anyone can be the hero any given night."

Tim Thomas, who signed with Florida just prior to the start of the regular season after taking all of last year off, allowed five goals on 28 shots in defeat. Jacob Markstrom took over between the pipes and gave up a pair of goals on six shots.

"We just never did anything to break their momentum once they finally got it," Thomas said.

Morrow led St. Louis down the ice towards the end of a first period power play and dropped the puck off the boards for Chris Stewart, who directed it on net. Derek Roy got a stick on the puck before Morrow sprinted towards Thomas to tap it home at 13:58.

The score remained 1-0 until the 12:31 mark of the second when Tarasenko's tip-in in traffic beat Thomas. Tom Gilbert then turned the puck over in Florida's zone, which led to Schwartz's goal on a feed from Vladimir Sobotka at 15:07.

Only 65 seconds later, Roy found space in front of the Panthers' goal and got off a clean wrister for a 4-0 game, then Steen broke free and got tangled up near goal to earn a penalty shot with 57 seconds remaining.

Steen went to his backhand on the penalty shot and put it past Thomas, chasing him from the contest.

Reaves skated uncontested down the right wing and snuck a wrist shot past Markstrom, who anticipated a centering pass, for a 6-0 edge at 2:44 of the third. Just over a minute later, Berglund tapped in a weak shot by Tarasenko after Schwartz worked hard behind the net to secure the puck for St. Louis.

Game Notes

The Blues' seven goals marked the most the club has scored against the Panthers since Florida's 1993 inception, and the seven-goal difference is the largest for either club in a win against the other ... St. Louis outshot Florida, 34-19 ... The Blues have won eight of their last 12 meetings with the Panthers and three in a row ... Florida, which took down the Stars in Dallas in its season opener, stays on the road to face Philadelphia on Tuesday and Tampa Bay next Thursday before finally going home for an Oct. 11 tilt with Pittsburgh.






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