Penguins 3 - 2 Blues
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Pens hit All-Star break on high note, chase away Blues in SO

Jan 25, 2012 - 4:53 AM St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Chris Kunitz notched the winner in the fourth round of the shootout to send Pittsburgh past St. Louis, 3-2, at Scottrade Center.

James Neal and Steve Sullivan scored in regulation for the Penguins, who enter the All-Star break with seven straight victories.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves in regulation and stopped three of four chances in the shootout.

"Considering where our team was two weeks ago, I think we have the answer," said Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma when asked how his team responded with a glut of injuries. "By winning seven in a row and with the break, we'll take the wins but we'll look to start over again when we get back."

Patrik Berglund netted both goals for the Blues, who lost for just the third time in their last 10 games.

Brian Elliott played well in defeat, stopping 37-of-39 shots.

After Fleury forced Alex Pietrangelo to pull his shot wide to open the fourth round, Kunitz made a move to the right side of the crease and lifted a backhander over a fallen Elliott and under the crossbar to end the contest.

Following a scoreless first period, the Penguins emerged with a 2-1 lead in the middle stanza.

Neal picked up his 27th of the season 3:26 in, when he ripped a Paul Martin feed through Elliott's pads for a power-play marker.

Sullivan doubled the edge at 12:16 when he batted a puck out of midair into the net. Three minutes later, the Blues got on the board thanks to Berglund, who beat Fleury to the left post.

Berglund had the puck stripped away by Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang on a partial break with 5:04 played in the third and was given a penalty shot. He beat Fleury on the forehand inside the left post for a 2-2 game.

Both goaltenders made point-blank stops in a hectic overtime.

"I think our team has as much or more potential to grow from within than any other team," said Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock. "We're young, we have young players playing prime minutes with a chance to get better, when we get back we're going to have to turn it up a notch. There is a whole other level."

Game Notes

Pittsburgh picked up its fourth win in 11 games at St. Louis since 1995...Berglund posted his first multi-goal effort since April 3 at Columbus...Blues defenseman Barret Jackman left the game in the third period after taking a hard hit from Pens forward Matt Cooke and did not return...The Penguins improved to 6-2 in shootout this season, while the Blues fell to 1-6.






Related News