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Boyes, Toivonen help Blues pay back Wild

Sep 29, 2007 - 3:19 AM By Chip Sotolar PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Brad Boyes scored two power-play goals and Hannu Toivonen stopped 22 shots as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-2, in preseason action Friday.

Doug Weight and Lee Stempniak also tallied for St. Louis, which bounced back from Wednesday's 7-0 loss to Minnesota with a solid effort. The Blues held the Wild scoreless on five power-play opportunities while scoring twice themselves with the man advantage.

The Blues opened the scoring at 4:27 of the first period, when Boyes took a cross-ice pass from Martin Rucinsky and beat goaltender Josh Harding high to the glove side with a backhander.

However, Minnesota bounced back to tie the game as former Blue Pavol Demitra threw a pass across the crease that bounced off St. Louis defenseman Erik Johnson - the first overall pick in 2006 - and changed direction before slipping past Toivonen with 6:09 remaining in the session.

Late in the period, the Blues went back on top as Boyes found Weight, who wristed a shot past Harding from the slot at 17:35.

Boyes scored his second goal of the night 4 1/2 minutes into the middle period to double St. Louis' lead. Stempniak added a shorthander with 4:32 left in the second to cap the scoring.

With just over a minute remaining in the third, Boyes nearly completed a hat trick, but his shot at an empty net rang off the right goalpost.

Harding made 15 saves for Minnesota before giving way to Niklas Backstrom, who yielded one goal on nine shots.

The Blues concluded their exhibition schedule Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, who visit the Wild on Sunday for Minnesota's preseason finale.