In St Paul, Jordan Kyrou hit for a hat trick to help the St Louis Blues escape with a 5-4 win over the Wild in extra time on Saturday. 
Brandon Saad hit for the winner in the extra session with 2:05 gone for the win.
“I saw [Kasperi Kapanen ] coming with speed on the right side and gave him the puck and I felt like I had a step on the guy and joined him,” Saad said. “[Kapanen] made a great play and (the puck) found a way in.”
Jordan Binnington made 30 saves in the win.
The Blues improved to 38-30-3 off their sixth win in seven matches, they are now two points back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild card in the Western Conference.
“That was an exciting game, good hockey game on both sides,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “A lot of back and forth. Obviously happy with the outcome, the guys stuck with it, we started the third really well and put ourselves in a position to win that hockey game. [The Wild] had a push in the last few minutes to tie it up and we did a great job in overtime. We possessed the puck for the whole overtime and I thought it was a great play by ‘Kappy’ to hit [Saad] with speed.”
The Blues grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening stanza on a strike by Jake Neighbours at 10:07.
“It’s a big goal by him to get us the lead there,” Kyrou said of Neighbours. “It’s great that we can all contribute.”
In the middle frame, the Wild replied with a marker form Marcus Johansson at 4:45, scoring off a pass from Brock Faber..
Marco Rossi scored the first of a double at 11:44, scoring off a breakaway for a 2-1 lead to the Wild.
Kyrou then went to work on his hat trick, scoring his first of the afternoon at at 12:49 for a 2-2 tie.
Rossie collected his double at 15:11 to reclaim the lead for the Wild at 3-2.
Minnesota dropped to 34-28-9 off their third loss in four matches.
“I think their heads are up,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “I mean, obviously you’re disappointed in the game …You have to just keep taking it game by game and then (we) got a big one on Thursday (against the San Jose Sharks).”
Kyrou scored his double at 3:50 of the third period to tie the game, 3-3.
He collected his hats at 10:01 of the third for a 4-3 advantage to the Blues.
“Going into the game, our record’s right there with [the Wild] in the standings, and we’re fighting for that last wild card spot, so it was a big game for us,” Kyrou said.
Faber then forced the extra session when he scored at 14:51 of the third for the 4-4 tie.
“I mean, a point’s a point,” Faber said. “But we’re at that time of the season where [we need] points. But again, there’s no give in this group. We’re not going to give up until Game 82. … it’s just frustrating. Would have liked two points.”
Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves in the loss.
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