Colton Parayko proudly sported a badge of honor after taking a high stick to the upper lip in the first period of the St. Louis Blues’ 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night. The incident led to a four-minute power play that ignited the Blues’ third consecutive win.
“A few stitches and away we go,” Parayko said.
Ville Husso made 28 saves, while Robert Thomas, Justin Faulk, Jordan Kyrou, and Ryan O’Reilly found the back of the net to help the Blues improve to 15-3-3 against Pacific Division opponents.
St. Louis has earned points in six consecutive games and 11 of their last 14.
Husso, who has taken over as the Blues’ top goaltender, stopped the first 17 shots he faced and secured his third win over the Kraken this season. Husso, now 13-2-1 at home, has stopped 86 of 88 shots in those three victories.
Jordan Eberle scored for Seattle, which has lost three of its last four games. Chris Driedger made 32 saves in the loss.
Parayko’s high stick from Jared McCann resulted in a lengthy power play and a pair of stitches during the first intermission. Thomas capitalized on the man advantage at 8:38 of the opening period, setting the tone for the Blues.
Thomas extended his hot streak with his 16th goal of the season, finishing off a slick cross-ice pass from Ivan Barbashev. Thomas now has points in a career-best seven straight games, tallying four goals and eight assists during this run.
“He’s looking to shoot more than he ever has,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. “He’s scoring; he should continue to shoot.”
Faulk scored his 10th goal at 7:56 of the second period, becoming the first St. Louis defenseman to reach double digits this season. He converted off a pass from Brayden Schenn, who recorded two assists.
Eberle cut the deficit to one just 119 seconds later by pouncing on a rebound in front of the net.
Kyrou, who had been goalless in 12 games, pushed the Blues’ lead to 3-1 early in the third period with his 23rd goal of the season.
“It gets kind of tough sometimes when you’re going through those stretches,” Kyrou said. “It’s a nice load of relief when you finally get one.”
O’Reilly sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:15 remaining.
The Blues are 5-0-1 in their last six games as they build momentum for the postseason.
“Every game from this point on, you’ve got to be in playoff mode,” Kyrou said.
Seattle was coming off a 4-1 win over Dallas on Sunday.
“This was one of those efforts that you crumple up and throw away,” Driedger said.
SPEEDSTER RETURNS
Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Vince Coleman was in attendance and received a standing ovation when he was shown on the video board during the second period. Coleman played six of his 13 major league seasons in St. Louis, stealing 326 bases over a three-year period from 1985 to 87.
NO REUNION
Seattle center Jaden Schwartz missed his sixth consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. Schwartz played 560 games with the Blues and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 2018-19.
IRON MAN
Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson is the only player on the Kraken roster to have appeared in all 70 games this season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
The Blues lead the league with seven players who have scored 20 or more goals this season. O’Reilly (17 goals) and Thomas (16) are closing in on the mark.
UP NEXT
- Kraken: Face the Blackhawks in Chicago on Thursday night.
- Blues: Host Minnesota on Friday night.
