Blues use 3-goal third period to top Maple Leafs 6-3

Published Feb. 19, 2022 10:10 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Saad, Ryan O’Reilly and Pavel Buchnevich each scored in St. Louis' three-goal third period that broke open a tie game and gave the Blues a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Buchnevich finished with two goals, and Klim Kostin and Brayden Schenn also scored for St. Louis. Ville Husso made 34 saves to improve to 9-1-1 since Jan. 1.

The Blues rebounded from a 3-2 overtime loss Thursday night that ended the Montreal Canadiens' 10-game skid.

William Nylander had two goals and T.J. Brodie scored his first goal since Jan. 5 for Toronto. Jack Campbell made 28 saves.

With the game tied at 3, Saad finished a pinpoint three-way passing play from linemate David Perron and defenseman Colton Parayko 4:38 into the third period to give St. Louis the lead.

O’Reilly deflected a point shot from Niko Mikkola midway through the final period to make it 5-3.

Buchnevich scored his second of the game into an empty net.

Toronto’s Auston Matthews saw his nine-game point streak end.

The Blues were without top scorer Vladimir Tarasenko, who was injured in Montreal. Coach Craig Berube listed him as day to day with an undisclosed injury.

But Tarasenko’s absence didn’t matter much to the Blues in the first period when Buchnevich hammered in a rebound off the blocker of Campbell for an early lead.

Kostin, a fourth-liner, made it 2-0 midway through the opening frame when he converted a cross-ice backhand pass from Tyler Bozak.

After sitting out four games as a healthy scratch, Bozak — a former Maple Leaf — made his way back into the Blues' lineup.

Nylander put Toronto on the scoreboard with a stick-side wrist shot late in the first period for his 18th goal.

Nylander, who had gone the previous seven games without a goal, tied it at 2 early in the second period off the rush on the left side.

However, the Blues regained the lead 29 seconds later when Schenn popped in his own rebound.

Toronto drew even late in the second period with a screen drive from the point off the stick of Brodie.

UP NEXT

Blues: At Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

Maple Leafs: At Montreal on Monday night to open a two-game trip.

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