Predators 3 - 4 Blues
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Blues edge Preds in shootout

Feb 2, 2014 - 7:51 AM St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Vladimir Tarasenko's third-period goal tied the game and he notched the game-deciding marker in the shootout, giving the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators.

Jaden Schwartz and David Backers also lit the lamp for the Blues. Brian Elliott made 28 saves as St. Louis won for the fourth time in its last five games.

"We needed this game after losing the last game," Tarasenko said.

Paul Gaustad, Mike Fisher and Roman Josi scored for the Predators, while Carter Hutton allowed all three goals on 34 shots. Nashville had won two straight entering the contest.

T.J. Oshie went first for the Blues in the shootout. He weaved his way back- and-forth in the slot and wristed a shot over the right pad of Hutton. In the second round, Nashville's Ryan Ellis raced in on net and switched from his forehand to the backhand to even the shootout.

After Josi missed, Tarasenko froze Hutton with a leg kick and sent a wrister over the netminder's shoulder for the win.

St. Louis scored the game's first goal on a power play in the first period. After Shea Weber went off for high sticking, Chris Stewart fed a backhand pass from behind the net to Schwartz, who skated up through the slot to beat Hutton halfway through the frame.

St. Louis went up 2-0 after Backes deflected Jay Bouwmeester's shot in front of the net 3:31 into the second.

"I thought it was a great point for us," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "You're down to the St. Louis Blues 2-0 and it's a real hard rink to come into. They come at you hard. I thought as game went on, we got better and better."

Gaustad sent a St. Louis turnover in the slot under the arm of Elliott to get the Predators within one at the 16:48 mark of the second.

Fisher knotted the game at 2-2 after he entered the St. Louis zone on the right side and sent a sharp-angle shot on net. The puck bounced off the right pad of Elliott and into the back of the net 3:25 into the third.

The Predators took the lead at 7:33 of the final frame. Craig Smith entered the offensive zone and passed to David Legwand, with Josi jumping up on the play and receiving the disc from Legwand before wristing a shot past Elliott.

Nashville's lead lasted only 16 seconds. Tarasenko notched his 18th of the season after he drove to the slot and fired a laser past Hutton to tie the game at 3-3.

Game Notes

St. Louis is now 6-2 in shootouts this season, while Nashville is 1-7 ... The Blues are 31-1-3 when scoring first ... Nashville has dropped eight of their last nine against the Blues ... Prior to the game, the Blues placed forward Vladimir Sobotka on injured reserve with a lower-body injury ... Legwand extended his point streak to four games.






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