Blues gain on Jets in standings with 5-2 win

[February 10, 2018]  Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice and goalie Jake Allen won for the first time since before Christmas as the St. Louis Blues dropped the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Friday night at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg.

Allen, who's been an embattled starter for the Blues, snapped a personal five-game losing skid. He's been in dire need of a strong performance to get his game on track, and a 20-save performance -- which handed the Jets their first regulation-time loss on home ice in nearly two months -- is a step forward.

The offensive outing from his team, including a three-goal second period, helped, too. After a scoreless first period, Tarasenko opened the scoring when he was fed the puck at the right faceoff dot and ripped a top-corner shot past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck for his first goal in seven games.

Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen scored a pair of goals just 86 seconds apart just past the midway point and gave the visitors a three-goal lead.

Kyle Connor's 18th goal of the season late in the second period gave the Jets some life, and Patrik Laine's power-play goal in the third period made it a one-goal game with eight minutes remaining in regulation.

But Tarasenko doused any comeback hopes with his second of the game and 23rd on the season to restore the two-goal edge. Jaden Schwartz rounded out the scoring with an empty-net goal. Schwartz and Steen finished the night with two points.

 

Jets left wing Kyle Connor (81) and St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn (29) chase the puck in front of St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen (34) in the first period at Bell MTS Place. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis, which has won six of its last eight games, pulled within two points of Winnipeg for second place in the Central Division, although the Jets do have two games in hand.

On the plus side for the Jets, the game marked the return of top-line center Mark Scheifele, who missed 16 games due to an upper-body injury.

Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for the Jets, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped and failed to earn a point in the standings for the first time in nine outings.

--Field Level Media

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