Blues beat Flames in overtime to improve to 4-0-1 under Jim Montgomery

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Dec 6, 2024

Published in Hockey

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CALGARY, Alberta — Sometimes, it's about survival.

In an eventual 4-3 Blues overtime win over the Flames on Thursday night, St. Louis lived through a third period in which they were outshot 15-4, before Colton Parayko won the game for St. Louis with 2:35 remaining in overtime.

Parayko stuffed home a Robert Thomas rebound inside the crease, and the goal was upheld after a lengthy video review.

The game guaranteed that the Blues secured at least a point in each of Jim Montgomery's first five games as the St. Louis coach.

Zack Bolduc, Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues. Jakob Pelletier, Matt Coronado and Mackenzie Weegar scored for the Flames.

Buchnevich gave the Blues a 3-2 lead six minutes into the third period as Thomas found him on the backdoor after a Blues power play expired. But Weegar responded 66 seconds later during 4 on 4 play.

St. Louis was on the power play thanks to Nazem Kadri's flip over the glass, but gave it up when Jordan Binnington played the puck outside the trapezoid behind the net. Binnington's delay of game penalty negated the Blues power play, and set up Weegar's tying goal.

The Flames entered the night having won six straight home games, with their last loss at the Saddledome coming more than a month ago on Nov. 3.

“Just how well they play the game the right way, especially at home,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “They’re 10-3 and won six in a row. They don’t beat themselves. You’re going to have to earn odd-man rushes. You’re going to have to earn every foot of ice. It’s a D corps that’s very active and very competitive.”

The Blues are halfway through their four-game road trip, with stops in Edmonton on Saturday and Vancouver on Tuesday remaining.

Lead disappears

The Blues built a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of the game. Then they watched it disintegrate.

Fifteen seconds after Thomas scored to put the Blues up by two goals, Flames forward Jakob Pelletier cut the lead in half by depositing a rebound at the net-front. Pelletier outmuscled Scott Perunovich in front of the crease to get his stick on the puck and put it between Binnington's legs.

More than five minutes into the second period, Matt Coronato tied the game on the power play, as he was given time with the slot to beat Binnington on his blocker side.

The Calgary power play goal was the first one allowed by the Blues under Montgomery as St. Louis killed the first 12 power-play chances by the opponent.

First of many?

Bolduc scored the first power-play goal of his career during the first period, and he did so in a fashion he’d done plenty of times before: on a one-timer.

With 7:11 left in the first period, Bolduc uncorked a slap shot from the slot to hammer home a feed from the corner from Brayden Schenn, tallying his third goal of the season. All of Bolduc’s goals have come with Montgomery as the Blues coach. Bolduc scored twice last week against the Rangers, and again on Thursday in Calgary.

Throughout his junior career — which he finished by scoring more than 100 goals in his last two seasons combined — Bolduc made his living in the right circle, cranking one-timers that beat QMJHL goaltenders. But in his first 45 games in the NHL, Bolduc was unable to score a power-play goal until Thursday night.

Thomas kisses the post

Thomas scored exactly two minutes after Bolduc’s goal, ringing the inside of the post to beat Flames goaltender Dan Vladar short-side on the rush and give the Blues a 2-0 lead.

Thomas was sprung on the rush by Jake Neighbours, whose wall play in his own zone pushed the puck towards the neutral zone for Thomas to pick up with speed. Thomas then protected the puck from Flames forward Nazem Kadri, and looked off a driving Matt Kessel to the net before ripping a shot.

It was Thomas’ fourth goal of the season, and second in the last two games after he scored an empty-netter in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. Since returning from a fractured ankle on Nov. 19, Thomas has points in six of the eight games he’s played.

Buchnevich returns

Forward Pavel Buchnevich was back in the Blues lineup on Thursday night after missing two games with a lower-body injury suffered last week in New Jersey. Buchnevich went right back on the top line with Thomas and Neighbours.

With Buchnevich back, Mathieu Joseph sat as a healthy scratch for the fourth time in the last eight games. Under Montgomery, Joseph has only been in the lineup when Buchnevich was out.

Justin Faulk missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury though he did participate in Blues optional morning skate on Thursday.