Ville Husso made 27 saves, Tyler Bozak scored a short-handed goal, and the St. Louis Blues cruised to a 5-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.
The Blues have now won two straight games and five of their last six. Bozak and Brayden Schenn scored in the first period, while Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Kyrou added goals in the third. Parayko’s goal came on a penalty shot.
“I’m feeling really good right now. Every time I get the chance to play, I aim to win,” said Husso, who also backstopped the Blues to a 2-1 victory over the Kraken on January 13. “The defensemen and forwards did a great job blocking shots. Credit to them.”
The Kraken were shut out for just the second time this season, ending their two-game winning streak. Joey Daccord made 26 saves for Seattle.
Both of St. Louis’ first-period goals were the result of special teams.
Bozak opened the scoring with a short-handed goal at 5:54, finishing off a 2-on-1 break with Brandon Saad for his second goal of the season.
The Blues doubled their lead with Schenn’s power-play goal at 10:23. Schenn capitalized on the rebound from David Perron’s shot, tucking it in for his eighth goal of the season.
“Our special teams were excellent in that first period,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We had a lot of energy, were skating well, and doing good things. A short-handed goal is a huge boost. It’s all about hard work.”
Buchnevich, returning from COVID-19 protocols, added an insurance goal just 24 seconds into the third period, his 15th of the season.
Parayko was awarded a penalty shot at 7:40 after being hooked by Jordan Eberle. He skated to the right and lifted his shot over Daccord for his fifth goal of the season. It was the first penalty shot by a Blues defenseman since 1985.
Kyrou, who will represent the Blues at the All-Star Game, capped the scoring at 9:31 with his 15th goal of the season.
Although the Kraken had pulled off comeback wins earlier in the week, defenseman Mark Giordano emphasized that they can’t rely on that approach every time.
“Falling behind in this league makes it too hard to come back consistently,” Giordano said. “Especially against a team as well-structured as the Blues. They won’t give you anything unless you generate it yourself. They showed that in the third period, shutting down any offense we tried to create off the rush.”
IN AND OUT
Buchnevich returned to action after clearing COVID-19 protocols but will miss Sunday’s game in Vancouver due to Canada’s stricter rules. While the NHL and NHLPA allow players to return after a five-day quarantine and two negative tests, Canada requires a 10-day waiting period after a positive test. Buchnevich will rejoin the team on Monday for a game in Calgary.
Game Notes
Bozak’s goal was his first point in 14 games. … The Blues scored their sixth short-handed goal of the season, while Seattle has now allowed three. … St. Louis leads the NHL with 34 power-play goals. … Daccord made his fourth appearance and third start for Seattle after being called up from AHL Charlotte when Chris Driedger entered COVID-19 protocols. … This was the sixth of 15 back-to-back sets for the Kraken, and it was their third split. They lost both games in the other three sets.
UP NEXT
- Blues: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
- Kraken: Host the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.
