Knights rout Blues behind dominant second period

[April 06, 2021]    Alec Martinez scored two goals and the Vegas Golden Knights used a four-goal second period to end a three-game losing streak with a 6-1 road victory Monday over the scuffling St. Louis Blues.

William Carrier, Jonathan Marchessault, Nicolas Hague and Martinez all had second-period goals as second-place Vegas was able to stay within reach of the West Division-leading Colorado Avalanche, who on Monday extended their points streak to 15 games with a 5-4 win over Minnesota.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Ville Husso (35) defends the net against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Tomas Nosek added a goal, and Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner had 31 saves.

Vegas had five goals by the midway point of the game, matching its combined total during their three consecutive defeats, all at home.

Tyler Bozak scored a goal for the Blues, who have lost seven consecutive games (0-6-1) and have scored just eight combined goals in those contests. St. Louis has not won at home since Feb. 18 (0-6-2).

The Blues are 2-8-4 over their past 14 games going back to March 6, and they fell out of a playoff position in the West Division last week.

St. Louis rookie goaltender Ville Husso, starting in back-to-back games for the first time, was pulled after Marchessault scored at 9:07 of the second period for a 5-1 edge. Husso gave up five goals on 19 shots before he was replaced by Jordan Binnington, who stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced.

Nosek led off the scoring with his sixth of the season 6:25 into the game. Martinez followed at 12:25 of the opening period when he used a wrist shot to score from the deep slot. Bozak got the Blues on the scoreboard with his second of the season 17:01 into the first.

The Golden Knights' first three second-period goals came in a 1:59 stretch. It was the seventh of the season for Martinez, Carrier's third and Marchessault's 10th. Hague added his fifth at 13:00 of the second.

The Blues and Golden Knights meet again Wednesday in St. Louis before they close out the regular season against each other May 7-8 at Las Vegas.

--Field Level Media

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