Perron, Blues beat Wild 3-1
Posted Oct 23, 2009 10:10 PM
By R.B. FALLSTROM
(AP)
ST. LOUIS -David Perron had a goal and an assist for his first points of the season after getting shifted to the checking line, helping the St. Louis Blues shake off slow-starting woes to beat the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Friday night.
The checking line produced the first two goals for St. Louis, which won for the first time at home after a pair of losses. Jay McClement scored in the opening minute on a rebound.
Chuck Kobasew had a second-period goal for the Wild, who have lost seven straight on the road — four shy of the franchise record. Minnesota has been outscored 25-12 during the slump.
The Blues opened the season with a pair of come-from-behind victories over Detroit in Sweden before losing two straight at home, and needed strong defense and 20 saves from Chris Mason to hang on at the finish. St. Louis got no shots the first 15:35 of the third, but held Minnesota to only four chances in the third period.
St. Louis totaled three shots in the third period, putting the game away on Brad Boyes' empty-net goal with 14.4 seconds to go. That ties the Blues' lowest total of the season, in the first period of a 5-1 loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Perron was third on the team with 50 points last season but had been blanked on 11 shots the first seven games.
The Blues dominated early, outshooting their opponent for the first time in the first period while ringing up a 15-4 advantage. McClement tapped in a rebound for his second goal at 56 seconds and the lead against a team that had been outscored 9-4 in the first period.
Perron assisted on that goal and then scored his first of the season short-handed to make it 2-0 early in the second. The Wild made it a one-goal game again on Kobasew's first of the season on a tap-in with 1:18 to go in the second.
NOTES: Boyes, the Blues' leading scorer the last two seasons, has only two goals. ... The Blues haven't lost at home to Minnesota since Oct. 20, 2007. ... Kobasew's goal was only the Wild's eighth at even strength, compared with 10 power-play goals. ... St. Louis was outshot 88-44 in the first period the first seven games.
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2009-10-23 22:50:31
