St. Louis Blues backup goaltender Ty Conklin, making just his second start in place of Jaroslav Halak, made 27 saves as the Blues won their seventh straight, a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
Halak entered Sunday’s games ranked third in both goals-against average (1.46) and save percentage (.944) among goaltenders who have made at least six starts. Conklin, whose only other appearance came on Oct. 16, improved to 2-0-0. The shutout was the first by the Blues against the Rangers in 128 games.
Alex Steen scored both goals for St. Louis with one in the second and an empty netter with 3.9 seconds remaining. Not only did St. Louis get the shutout with their backup goalie, but they played without three key defensemen. Carlo Colaiacovo, Barret Jackman and Roman Polak, all sat with injuries.
The Blues (9-1-2) are tied for the League lead with 20 points with the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings, who have played more games than the Blues. This is the best start in franchise history after 12 games.
