Brayden Schenn's two goals lead Blues past Flames again

Matthew DeFranks, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Jan 16, 2025

Published in Hockey

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ST. LOUIS — That’s four small points for the Blues, and one giant leap in the Western Conference.

The Blues completed a two-game sweep of the Flames with a 4-1 win on Thursday night, taking all four points from a Calgary team that entered St. Louis earlier this week clinging to the final playoff spot in the West. St. Louis finished a four-game homestand with a 3-1-0 record with 10 games remaining until the two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Blues captain Brayden Schenn scored twice in his first multi-goal game of the season, while Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou also scored. Dylan Holloway picked up two assists, and Joel Hofer made 29 saves.

Yegor Sharangovich scored for the Flames.

The Blues are now one point behind the Flames in the standings, though Calgary has played two fewer games.

The Blues (22-20-4) will give themselves an eighth chance this season for a third consecutive win. They are 0-6-1 in their first seven opportunities, and are the only team in the NHL without a three-game win streak this season.

St. Louis makes its first trip to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night.

Holloway hounds the puck

Holloway assisted on Schenn’s goal at 4:55 of the first period when he stripped MacKenzie Weegar of the puck behind the goal and found Schenn in the slot for a quick shot far post. Holloway was originally trying to find Schenn with a pass, but Weegar picked it off, so Holloway won it back.

When Holloway later assisted on Kyrou’s goal that gave the Blues a 3-0 lead, it was his 11th point at 5 on 5 since Dec. 23, which was the most in the league for forwards. (Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski is the only player with more.)

Holloway also drew an apparent hooking call on Kevin Bahl that was wiped out when Kyrou scored his 20th goal. The play was set up by Tyler Tucker’s race to keep the puck in at the blue line, shoveling in a backhand to maintain possession.

The Blues entered first intermission up 3-0 and with a 15-7 edge in shots on goal, a period reminiscent of last week’s start against Anaheim. In that game, the Blues were up 3-0 with a 16-6 advantage in shots on the Ducks.

Parayko still pumping them in

Parayko scored in his third straight game, this time a rocket from the right point that beat Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf between his legs. The goal, which gave the Blues a 2-0 lead at 13:53 of the first period, was Parayko’s 10th of the season, which tied a career high. He will set a new career high for goals if he scores just once in the final 36 games of the regular season.

Parayko scored on a delayed penalty after Cam Fowler appeared to be hooked by Martin Pospisil while protecting the puck in the left circle. Fowler danced into the slot, creating space for Parayko to crank his signature one-timer from the blue line.

Parayko now has seven goals at 5 on 5, which is tied for the second-most in the NHL among defensemen. Again, only Werenski has more.

Surviving the second

The Blues weathered the Flames' push in the second period, as the Flames outshot St. Louis 17-9 in the middle frame. For Calgary, that included beginning the period with 15 of the first 18 shots, counting Sharangovich’s goal at 11:14 of the period that made it 3-1.

St. Louis exited the period even thanks to Schenn’s second goal of the evening, this one on the power play and set up by Jake Neighbours’ pass from the left flank towards the net-front. Neighbours drew the initial slashing penalty on Brayden Pachal by driving the net on a 2 on 1 rush with Robert Thomas.

— Forward Brandon Saad was a healthy scratch for the fourth time this season. He has seven goals on the season, but all of them have come in just three games.

— Thursday was Blues general manager Doug Armstrong’s 1,500th game as an NHL GM, becoming the 19th general manager in league history to reach that mark.