Vladimir Tarasenko fires a wrist shot
Vladimir Tarasenko had two goals and an assist and Paul Stastny scored for the Blues, who tied a season-high with their fifth straight win. Jake Allen made 26 saves to earn his career-high 23rd victory. He is 4-0-0 lifetime against Anaheim. The Blues beat the Ducks 5-2 and move ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, who lost to the first-place Dallas Stars 5-2 on Friday. The Stars host the Blues on Saturday.
Jori Lehtera and Patrik Berglund scored goals 1:04 apart early in the third period. Lehtera gave the Blues a 2-1 lead 1:55 into the third after Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler lost the puck. Jaden Schwartz fed Lehtera in the left circle for a slap shot past goaltender Frederik Andersen.
Berglund scored at 2:59 when he picked off a Josh Manson pass in the slot, turned and beat Andersen with a slap shot for a 3-1 lead.
Tarasenko made it 4-2 with 2:38 remaining, beating Andersen with a slap shot from the slot. Ducks defenseman Simon Despres couldn’t handle Fowler’s cross-ice pass and Tarasenko picked it off. Tarasenko capped off his three-point game by hitting the empty net from midway in his own zone with 1:22 remaining for his 32nd goal of the season.
