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Blues tie season high with fourth straight win

Feb 21, 2007 - 6:10 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray had to be pleased with the way his team refused to collapse after seeing a lead disappear.

Lee Stempniak and Doug Weight netted shootout tallies and Bill Guerin added his 28th goal in regulation as the Blues posted a 5-4 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

St. Louis tied a season high with its fourth consecutive victory and raised its record under Murray to 19-9-5. The Blues defeated Columbus for the fourth time in six meetings and the first at home this season.

"They looked a little downtrodden," Murray said. "I wanted to remind them that early in the season, they would have taken any win. We found a way to win and that's the bottom line."

Stempniak opened the shootout by scoring inside the right goalpost and Weight followed in the second round with a shot between goaltender Fredrik Norrena's pads.

"I just decided to do the same thing I did against him in our last shootout (on January 9)," Stempniak said. "Getting off to a good start puts you in control."

"For a second I thought I had been a little too fine," Weight said of his shootout goal. "But thankfully, it went in."

David Vyborny attempted to prolong the contest for the Blue Jackets, but he was stopped on a chest save by netminder Manny Legace.

"This whole night was too much and (one) point was not enough," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said.

Rick Nash tied the score for Columbus, 4-4, with just 14 seconds remaining in regulation with his 16th goal of the season, a slap shot from the right point over Legace's left shoulder.

"I came around the point, saw a lot of bodies and a little bit of the goal mouth, and just figured I would let it fly," Nash said.

David Backes took advantage of Sergei Fedorov's tripping penalty to tie the score, 3-3, at 8:34 of the third period when he knocked in a rebound of Stempniak's shot from the doorstep past the left goalpost.

"We are doing what we need to do to win and I am glad to be a part of it," Backes said. "We just have to keep plugging."

Moments later, after Columbus captain Adam Foote was whistled for hooking, Christian Backman buried a rebound of Weight's slap shot for his fifth goal of the campaign with 9:07 to play.

"It was great to get the lead but keeping it would have been even better, and we did not do it," Backman said. "But we will take the win."

After Jason Chimera tied the score for Columbus, 2-2, with 3:03 left in the middle session, defemseman Ron Hainsey put the Blue Jackets in front with 2.8 seconds left in the period when his shot from the high slot went through Legace's pads.

Stempniak scored his 18th goal in the second period, blue-liner Dennis Wideman registered a pair of assists and Legace made 27 saves as St. Louis raised its home mark to 15-15-3.

Vyborny netted his 14th tally and Norrena stopped 31 shots for Columbus, which has dropped seven of its last nine contests.