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 He apparently was feeling much better Tuesday night, when he
delivered his first career hat trick as the Blues defeated the Stars
4-3 in overtime before 16,232 at American Airlines Center.
"He played at 50 percent on Saturday (against Chicago)," Blues coach
Ken Hitchcock said. "He wasn't himself. And then to come back and
play like that's pretty impressive."
Tarasenko scored tying goals late in the first and third periods.
Both were assisted by Blues center Jori Lehtera.
"We played together in Russia, so it was fun to play on the same
line," Tarasenko said. "We have some chemistry."
His third tally came 1:28 into overtime when he one-timed a pass
from defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk past Dallas goaltender Kari
Lehtonen to seal a hard-fought win.
St. Louis was on the power play at the time, gaining the man
advantage 14 seconds into the extra frame after Dallas center Tyler
Seguin was called for high-sticking.
 "It was pedal to the metal for 50 minutes. We made a couple of
mistakes that ended up beating ourselves again, and that hurts,"
Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.
Dallas struck first when young defenseman Jamie Oleksiak scored his
first NHL goal 13:10 into the game, a slap shot from the left point
that deflected in off the stick of Blues center Patrik Berglund.
However, as they did for much of the game, the Blues had a quick
answer. They tied the game at 1-1 just 35 seconds later when
Tarasenko sent a wrister from the high slot just under Lehtonen's
blocker at 13:45.
Late in the first period, the Blues were down a man after center and
captain David Backes suffered an upper-body injury in a collision
with Dallas defenseman Trevor Daley. Backes hit his head on the ice
and did not return.
"He's going to be re-evaluated tomorrow," Hitchcock said. "We're
just going to have to see what the doctors say."
Early in the second, Dallas quickly broke the tie, going ahead 2-1
when Seguin beat Blues goaltender Brian Elliott with a slap shot
from the left circle at 5:28.
Again, the Blues countered, as Lehtera beat Lehtonen with a stellar
backhand that sailed over the goalie's blocker at 6:05.
Just past the midway point of the second, St. Louis had a 5-on-3
power play for 53 seconds after Dallas defenseman Kevin Connauton
was called for interference and fellow defenseman Brenden Dillon
joined him in the penalty box for high-sticking. But the Blues
couldn't capitalize.
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Early in the third, Dallas regained the lead when Daley flicked a
wrister under Elliott's glove from the left circle to make it 3-2 at
3:27.
However, the Blues answered again, as Tarasenko scored his second of
the game with a wrister from the right circle that beat Lehtonen on
his blocker side with 8:23 left in regulation.
Dallas has coughed up a third-period lead three times over their
first four home games.
"Enough is enough," Daley said. "In order to be a good team, you've
got find ways to get the job done. I don't think we should have even
been in that situation to start."
About four minutes later, St. Louis nearly took their first lead,
but a hard wrister by Lehtera from the right circle found the
crossbar with 4:43 remaining in regulation.
Elliott stopped 25 shots to earn the win while Lehtonen stopped 23
for Dallas.
NOTES: Blues D Jordan Leopold, LW Magnus Paajarvi and LW Chris
Porter were scratched. ... Stars D Jyrki Jokipakka and LW Curtis
McKenzie were scratched. ... Blues coach Ken Hitchcock spent six
seasons as the coach in Dallas, leading the Stars to the 1999
Stanley Cup. ... Stars D Kevin Connauton returned to the ice for
Dallas after being a healthy scratch the past two games. ... Blues D
Carl Gunnarsson, acquired in an offseason trade with the Toronto
Maple Leafs, made his St. Louis debut. ... Dallas started a two-game
homestand on Tuesday. ... St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong
was with the Stars organization between 1991 and 2007, including
serving as GM between 2002 and 2007. ... In the last meeting, on
April 11, 2014, Dallas prevailed 3-0 at American Airlines Center to
clinch its first playoff berth in six years. ... Midway through the
first period Tuesday, Dallas honored Blues center Steve Ott, who
spent much of his career in Dallas. After a video montage, Ott
received a huge ovation from the crowd, which he saluted with a
wave.
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