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 Like everything else Tuesday night at the Prudential Center, that
decision went Allen's way as the 25-year-old netminder recorded his
second consecutive shutout and third of the season in a 2-0 win over
the Devils.
"It's more about getting wins, not really worried about the shutout,
they're secondary, little bonuses you can think about after the
game," Allen said. "But to put three wins together was big."
Allen wasn't nearly as busy as when he had to make a career-high 45
saves in a 4-0 win over Nashville on Saturday. He had to stop 24
shots, 13 combined in the final two periods as the Blues rallied
from a slow start to dominant the Devils.
Two former Devils players combined to give the Blues (11-3-1) a 1-0
lead at 4:57 of the first period as right winger Martin Havlat
scored his first goal of the season in his St. Louis debut with a
snap shot high blocker side from the slot off a pass from center
Scott Gomez.
Right winger Troy Brouwer also assisted on the goal by Havlat, who
was signed to a one-year deal on Nov. 5.
"It feels great and we won so that's even better," Havlat said.
"It's nice to be part of the NHL hockey game. I still love the game
so I'm happy they gave me a chance."
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was particularly pleased with that line,
especially Havlac's first contribution in a Blues sweater.
"Martin is a good smart player and the way we're built right now he
helps us a lot," Hitchcock said. "He's got patience with the puck
and that's what we need. It allows me to use other people in certain
situations, not tiring out young guys or putting young guys in tough
spots so it's a good add."
The Blues, who won their third straight and sixth time in their last
seven games, tacked onto their lead when left winger Magnus Paajarvi
beat Schneider with a high snap shot from the right circle 3:28 into
the third period. Center Alex Pietrangelo and right winger Dmitrij
Jaskin assisted on Paajarvi's first goal since scoring against
Nashville on March 6, 2014.
After being outshot, 11-6, in a first period with few quality
scoring chances for either team, the Blues had a 14-4 edge in the
pivotal second period and never looked back.
"We simplified our game, our puck movement," Blues defenseman Kevin
Shattenkirk said. "We kept the puck to the strong side and tried to
use our speed through the neutral zone. They were skating hard on us
in the first period and we had to simply our breakouts and that
worked for us."
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Conversely, the Devils had nothing to show for a strong first period
and never got the response they needed when the Blues pushed in the
second.
"St. Louis turned up the temperature in the second period and played
real strong. We never got back to the level we were at in the first
period," Devils coach John Hynes said.
Once the Devils fell behind, it was difficult to play catch-up
against the big and physical Blues.
"In the second we stopped moving our feet and looking back at it, as
soon as we stopped moving our feet, it's tough to battle a guy who
is a foot taller than you," Devils right winger Kyle Palmieri said.
"When you're standing still, you're not going to win that battle 90
percent of the time."
NOTES: Former Devils G Martin Brodeur is making an unfamiliar return
to the Prudential Center as the Blues assistant general manager.
"It's always nice to come back," he said. "I can't wait to watch the
game and see it on the other side. I never thought I was going to
root against the Devils. Ever. But I will be tonight. I'm not
playing so it's not as bad." Brodeur will have his No. 30 retired by
the Devils on Feb. 9. ... RW Martin Havlat made his Blues debut
against the Devils. He joined the team two weeks ago on a
professional tryout and was signed to a one-year deal. He was with
the Devils a year ago, playing 40 games. ... D Eric Gelinas (third
straight game) and LW Stefan Matteau (seventh straight game) were
healthy scratches, while RW Tuomo Ruutu (right foot fracture) and LW
Patrik Elias (right knee) were also out for the Devils. ... D Robert
Bortuzzo and RW Ryan Reaves were healthy scratches for the Blues,
while C Steve Ott (upper body), C Patrik Berglund (shoulder), LW
Paul Stastny (foot) and LW Jaden Schwartz (ankle) were also out.
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