BLUES 3, LIGHTNING 1: Jaden Schwartz scored in his NHL debut and T.J. Oshie recorded two assists as visiting St. Louis blanked Tampa Bay to clinch a playoff berth and reach 100 points for the first time since 2000-01.
Schwartz, who signed to a three-year contract Monday, converted on the power play in the first period. Patrik Berglund and David Perron also netted goals for the Western Conference-leading Blues (46-19-8).
Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves to improve to 9-0-1 in his last 10 decisions.
Defenseman Brendan Mikkelson broke up Halak’s bid for a shutout with 4:11 remaining, scoring his first NHL goal in his 116th game. Halak, who was playing his 200th NHL contest, stopped all six shots he faced in the first period and his team handed him a 2-0 lead.
Berglund finished a 2-on-1 with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for a shorthanded goal with five minutes remaining in the session. Schwartz then popped home a rebound near the top of the crease with 36 seconds left.
Oshie’s pass squirted past Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Perron beat veteran goalie Dwayne Roloson at 2:47 of the second period.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Schwartz had 15 goals and 26 assists in 30 games as a freshman for Colorado College. He is the 13th player to score in his Blues debut. ... St. Louis swept two games against Tampa Bay this season. ... Tampa Bay fell to 1-4-1 in its last six contests. ... St. Louis killed off all three shorthanded situations and has yielded just one power-play tally in 17 games. ... Blues defenseman Roman Polak played his 300th NHL game.
St. Louis | Tampa Bay | |
T.J Oshie 2 | Points | Brendan Mikkelson 1 |
Patrik Berglund 1 | Goals | Brendan Mikkelson 1 |
T.J Oshie 2 | Assists | Adam Hall 1 |
Jaden Schwartz 1 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
Patrik Berglund 1 | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Jaroslav Halak .957 | Save Percentage | Dwayne Roloson .857 |
Jaroslav Halak 22 | Saves | Dwayne Roloson 18 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
St. Louis | 21 | 3 | 1-2 | 3-3 | 6 | 33 |
Tampa Bay | 23 | 1 | 0-3 | 1-2 | 4 | 19 |