DUCKS 4, BLUES 3: Rookie Devante Smith-Pelly tied the game less than eight minutes into the third period and Jason Blake snapped the deadlock with 5:54 remaining as Anaheim began its three-game homestand with a triumph over league-leading St. Louis.
Defenseman Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino also scored, captain Ryan Getzlaf notched two assists and Jonas Hiller made 35 saves for the Ducks, who have won 13 of 18 at home.
David Perron gave the Blues their third lead at 4:47 of the third period as he buried a loose puck after defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk's slap shot it a leg in front. But Smith-Pelly converted a backhand pass from the left corner by Getzlaf just over three minutes later to again knot the contest.
After Ducks defenseman Sheldon Brookbank's slap shot was blocked less than 6 1/2 minutes later, Blake gained possession in the right corner and fired the puck into the crease. It went off the right skate of St. Louis blue-liner Ian Cole and past Jaroslav Halak, giving Anaheim its first lead of the night.
Jaden Schwartz got the Blues on the board seven minutes into the contest with his second goal in as many NHL games. Hiller stopped defenseman Alex Pietrangelo's slap shot from the right point, but Schwartz grabbed the rebound on his backhand in the slot and switched to his forehand before burying it.
Fowler pulled Anaheim even with a blast from the left point during a power play 3 1/2 minutes later but committed a turnover less than two minutes afterward that helped put the Blues back in front.
Fowler won a battle for the puck along the left-wing boards but put it right on the stick of St. Louis captain David Backes, who fired it off the right post and in from the top of the left faceoff circle.
The Ducks forged a 2-2 tie six minutes into the second on Bonino's first tally in 20 games. Bonino grabbed the puck on the doorstep after Kyle Palmieri's one-timer from the right circle failed to reach the net and put it under the crossbar for his first goal since Feb. 8.
Pietrangelo recorded two assists and Halak stopped 18 shots for the Blues, who are 2-2-1 on their seven-game road trip. St. Louis, which lost in regulation when scoring at least three goals for the first time this season (37-1-1), is one point ahead of the New York Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Fowler has scored two goals in four games and notched at least one point in four of his last six contests. ... Perron's tally was his fourth in six matches and gave him a point in six of seven. ... St. Louis fell to 2-15-1 in its last 18 visits to Anaheim. ... The home team has won nine in a row in the all-time series.
St. Louis | Anaheim | |
Alex Pietrangelo 2 | Points | Ryan Getzlaf 2 |
David Backes 1 | Goals | Jason Blake 1 |
Alex Pietrangelo 2 | Assists | Ryan Getzlaf 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | Cam Fowler 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Jaroslav Halak .818 | Save Percentage | Jonas Hiller .921 |
Jaroslav Halak 18 | Saves | Jonas Hiller 35 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
St. Louis | 38 | 3 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 10 | 35 |
Anaheim | 22 | 4 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 6 | 19 |