Ville Husso made 27 saves, Tyler Bozak scored a shorthanded goal, and the St. Louis Blues dominated the Seattle Kraken 5-0 on Friday night.
The Blues have won two straight and five of their last six games. 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 just feeling good right now. Every time I get a chance to play, I try to win,” said Husso, who also secured a victory against the Kraken on Jan. 13. “There was a lot of blocking shots. I have to give credit to the defensemen and the forwards.”
The Kraken were shut out for the second time this season, ending their two-game winning streak. Joey Daccord made 26 saves.
Both of St. Louis’ first-period goals came from their special teams. Bozak opened the scoring with a shorthanded tally at 5:54, finishing a 2-on-1 break with Brandon Saad for his second-season goal.
St. Louis extended its lead to 2-0 with Schenn’s power-play goal at 10:23. Schenn capitalized on the rebound from David Perron’s shot for his eighth goal.
“Our special teams were really good in that first period,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We were energized, skating well, and doing good things. When you get a shorthanded goal, it’s a huge lift. It’s all work-based.”
Buchnevich, returning from COVID-19 protocols, added an insurance goal just 24 seconds into the third period, marking his 15th of the season.
Parayko was awarded a penalty shot at 7:40 after being hooked from behind by Jordan Eberle. Parayko skated to the right and lifted his shot over Daccord for his fifth goal, making him the first Blues defenseman to score on a penalty shot since 1985.
Kyrou, who will represent the Blues at the All-Star Game, scored his 15th goal at 9:31, sealing the 5-0 victory.
Despite their comeback wins earlier in the week, Kraken defenseman Mark Giordano acknowledged that falling behind early is not sustainable.
“At the end of the day, getting behind in this league, it’s way too hard to come back night in and night out,” Giordano said. “Especially against a team that’s as structured as they are. They won’t give you anything if you don’t generate it. You saw that in the third period, they’re really good at shutting down anything off the rush.”
IN AND OUT
Buchnevich played after clearing COVID-19 protocols but will miss Sunday’s game in Vancouver due to Canada’s stricter rules. The NHL and NHLPA allow players to return after a five-day quarantine and two negative tests, but Canada doesn’t permit entry within 10 days of a positive test. Buchnevich will rejoin the team for Monday’s game in Calgary.
Game Notes:
- Bozak’s goal was his first point in 14 games.
- The shorthanded goal was the Blues’ sixth of the season and the third allowed by Seattle.
- St. Louis leads the NHL with 34 power-play goals.
- Daccord made his fourth appearance and third start for Seattle, called up from AHL Charlotte after Chris Driedger entered COVID-19 protocols.
- This was the sixth of 15 back-to-back sets for the Kraken, resulting in their third split. They lost both games in the other three sets.
UP NEXT:
- Blues: Play at the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night.
- Kraken: Host the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.
