St. Louis Blues goaltender Martin Brodeur makes a glove save against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on December 29, 2014. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Martin Brodeur posted his first shutout as a member of the Blues in St. Louis’ 3-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
Brodeur, who spent his first 21 seasons with the New Jersey Devils, has tallied the most shutouts in NHL history over the course of his prolific career and made 16 saves to earn number 125.
Dmitrij Jaskin, Chris Butler and Vladimir Tarasenko all scored for the Blues, who ended a four-game skid with a solid defensive effort.
“I think he’s gotten more comfortable here,” Butler said of Brodeur. “I think tonight was an awesome performance by him.”
Semyon Varlamov allowed all three goals on 25 shots as Colorado’s three-game winning streak was snapped.
“It’s clear that we need to do things differently,” Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy said.
Neither team was able to convert in the opening stanza as Colorado held an 8-5 shot margin after twenty minutes of play.
It didn’t take long for St. Louis to start the scoring in the second period as Jaskin’s shot from the right circle went under the pad of Varlamov for a Blues lead 28 seconds into the frame.
Butler took a dish from T.J. Oshie off the cycle, charged in on net from the left circle and finished the play by elevating a backhander over Varlamov’s shoulder for a 2-0 game at 4:30 of the second.
Varlamov denied Maxim Lapierre’s one-timer point blank early in the third to keep it a two-goal game.
Tarasenko intercepted a Colorado pass in the offensive zone and capped the scoring on a quick wrister with 4:35 left in regulation.