The St. Louis Blues extended their NHL-best winning streak to seven games with a 6-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas each recorded a goal and three assists in the win. For Broberg, it marked the first four-point game of his NHL career.
The Blues now sit just two points behind Minnesota for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference after the Wild lost to Vegas. St. Louis has also built a five-point cushion over Vancouver for the second wild-card position.
Jordan Kyrou scored his 31st goal of the season for St. Louis. Dylan Holloway, Alexandre Texier and Zack Bolduc also found the net, while Jordan Binnington stopped 24 shots.
Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki scored Montreal’s lone goal, answering just 47 seconds after Kyrou opened the scoring late in the first period.
Sam Montembeault was pulled after allowing five goals on 32 shots. Jakub Dobes played the final 10 minutes in net for Montreal.
Game Notes
The Canadiens missed an opportunity to improve their position in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race, dropping their third straight game.
For the Blues, top defenseman Colton Parayko joined morning skate wearing a no-contact jersey. His long-term knee injury was expected to hurt the team’s playoff chances, but St. Louis has reached its highest position in weeks despite his absence.
Holloway tipped in Broberg’s shot with just 6 seconds left in the first period, giving the Blues a 2-1 lead heading into intermission. All three first-period goals came in the final two minutes.
Holloway has recorded 60 points in 73 games during his first season with the Blues after managing just 25 points in 115 games with Edmonton.
The Canadiens visit the Flyers on Thursday, while the Blues travel to Nashville the same night.
