The St. Louis Blues, like most teams in the NHL, have struggled against Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. However, the Blues solved the Preds’ netminder on Thursday winning a 3-2 shootout.
T.J. Oshie opened the shootout by beating Rinne, who made 22 saves. Andy McDonald then slid a backhander past Rinne in the second round. Jaroslav Halak stopped Colin Wilson and Martin Erat to gain the win, that snapped a two-game losing streak for St. Louis. Nashville has lost only twice in regulation in its last nine games (4-2-3).
With the victory, St. Louis, fourth in the Western Conference and second in the Central Division with 80 points, now leads Nashville by four points in both the conference and divisional races. If the season ended right now, these rivals would meet in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, with St. Louis owning the home-ice edge.