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Polak scores go-ahead goal as Blues tame Wild

Dec 21, 2008 - 6:03 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- An unexpected hero relieved the St. Louis Blues from a dismal losing streak.

Defenseman Roman Polak scored his first career goal to snap a tie early in the third period and also had an assist to help the Blues snap a five-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.

"It was exciting, you know," Polak said. "It was my first one. It was a great play. It was a wide-open net, so it was pretty easy for my first goal. I'll take that every night."

Rookie Patrik Berglund and David Backes also tallied before Jay McClement added an empty-netter with 15 seconds remaining. After missing five games with a concussion, Manny Legace returned to the lineup and stopped 24 shots as the Blues notched their third win in December.

"I just thought it was a phenomenal defensive effort by our guys," Legace said. "We just have to keep playing like that. We have to play 60 minutes. I felt good. The guys let me see shots."

Blue-liner Nick Schultz and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored, but the Wild were unable to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this month. Before Friday's 4-1 triumph over the New York Islanders, Minnesota had lost six in a row.

Bouchard forged a 2-2 tie with a backhander from the slot 2:21 into the third.

However, the 22-year-old Polak gave St. Louis a lead it would not relinquish just 30 seconds later by converting passes from Brad Boyes and Keith Tkachuk with a wrister while sitting on the doorstep.

McClement secured the victory with his second tally of the season by skating in the zone untouched and sliding the puck into the open net.

Schultz evened the game at 1-1 five minutes into the first off passes from Andrew Brunette and captain Mikko Koivu, but Backes netted his 10th goal of the season 4 1/2 minutes later.

"It was a well-rounded game," Backes said. "We played pretty well killing the penalty, as well as on the power play."

Backes also refused to pinpoint why he is having such a successful campaign.

"I'm not going to try and figure it out," Backes said. "I'm going to just ride this as long as it goes."

Stationed between the circles, Berglund opened the scoring 79 seconds into the session with a wrist shot.

Niklas Backstrom made 20 saves for the Wild, who outshot the Blues, 26-24, overall and by an 11-6 margin in the third.

"We didn't score at the proper time, and when we got our goals they came back right after and took the lead again," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It seems like it's not working for us at all lately. If you tie it up, we're giving the goal right back.

"That's not how you play. You've got to be more solid and we're not at this time."