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 That's the approach the Blues took as they found offense from a
variety of sources to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Sunday
afternoon at PNC Arena.
Right winger Ty Rattie and center Kyle Brodziak provided rare
offense and that seemed to spark the Blues.
"Two goals out of those guys is fantastic and the rest of us
followed suit," Blues center David Backes said. "When they're
bringing it, it gives no one else an excuse to fade away."
Backes, center Robby Frabbri and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo also
scored for St. Louis, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
Brodziak's short-handed goal in the second period broke a 2-2 tie.
That sent the Blues on their way.
"We, as a group, had a great period and it was great to build off,"
Brodziak said.
The Hurricanes were already reeling from a pregame trade that sent
Carolina captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers. There was
speculation that more moves might be in the works because right
winger Kris Versteeg and center Riley Nash didn't play after early
in the second period, with no injuries reported.
"They had that distraction, no doubt about it," Backes said.
The Hurricanes dropped deeper out of the potential playoff mix in
the Eastern Conference, perhaps adding to the decision to make a
deal.
"That's the way it goes," said center Jordan Staal, whose older
brother is no longer a teammate. "Obviously, we didn't want it this
way."
Left winger Jeff Skinner and defenseman Ron Hainsey scored for the
Hurricanes.
Still, with the trade deadline looming Monday, the off-ice matters
seemed to consume the Hurricanes.
"There was a lot of stuff going on, obviously," Jordan Staal said.
"It was a difficult game to get the mind right."
By the end, the Hurricanes were limited to three lines. Eric Staal's
absence was glaring.
"It's going to be a void, for sure, until we figure out a way to fix
that," Carolina coach Bill Peters said.
Frabbri and Pietrangelo, who had missed the previous nine games with
an injury, scored 37 seconds apart in the third period, each picking
up an assist on the other's goal for the Blues (36-20-9). They were
coming off their most lopsided loss of the season with Saturday's
5-0 setback at Nashville.
Fabbri's goal came as he made a nifty cut toward the net and
deposited the puck, providing the game's first two-goal cushion with
13:58 remaining.
St. Louis goalie Jake Allen made 32 saves.
The Hurricanes (28-26-10) have lost four of their last five games,
including three defeats during a four-day period.
Carolina goalie Cam Ward stopped 35 shots.
It was the third time in a nine-game stretch in which the Blues
scored at least five goals.
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The Blues led 3-2 after two periods courtesy of a two-goal second
period.
"I thought it's one of the best periods we've played," Blues coach
Ken Hitchcock said. "We hemmed them in and didn't let them out."
Backes pulled St. Louis even with a goal 20 seconds into the period.
Brodziak's short -handed goal with 8:50 left in the period regained
the lead for the Blues. That was only the second short-handed goal
of the season for St. Louis.
The go-ahead goal was set up by a Carolina turnover. Right winger
Scottie Upshall ended up with the puck as the Blues skated in on
Ward on a 2-on-0 advantage. Brodziak converted after taking a
delivery from Upshall.
Brodziak scored his only other goal this season Nov. 21. Coupled
with an assist on the game's first goal, he had two points in a game
for the first time this season.
After Rattie opened the scoring just 2:17 into the game in only his
second NHL appearance after nearly a month in the minor leagues, the
Hurricanes responded.
Skinner and Hainsey scored 84 seconds apart, so it was 2-1 less than
10 minutes into the game.
Hainsey, who assisted on Skinner's goal, had two points. He had gone
the previous 13 games without a point.
NOTES: The Hurricanes announced the trade of C Eric Staal, the
captain, to the New York Rangers about an hour before face-off.
Carolina received C Aleksi Saarela and second-round picks in the
next two drafts in return. ... Blues D Alex Pietrangelo was back in
the lineup after missing nine games with a nine injury. He missed a
combined seven games in his previous five full NHL seasons. ... LW
Jeff Skinner, 23, played in his 400th NHL game, all with the
Hurricanes. ... Former Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller is an
assistant coach with the Blues. ... Blues D Colton Parayko and
Hurricanes D Jaccob Slavin both rank among the top five among NHL
rookies in ice time per game. ... Carolina won the only other
meeting this season, taking a 4-1 decision Jan. 14 at St. Louis. ...
The Blues play the third game of a four-game road swing Tuesday
night at Ottawa. ... The Hurricanes, who play only one home game in
the next 22 days, go to New Jersey on Tuesday night.
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