Of the three games on the NHL schedule Wednesday night, only the match in Chicago had any consequence to the standings or the race fr the playoffs.
The St Louis Blues needed two late goals in the third period to get even with the Blackhawks at 3-3 and force extra time.
David Perron and Tyler Bozak rallied the Blues from a 3-1 deficit with strikes in the third.
“It’s a big point,” St. Louis defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “We didn’t play the way we needed to play but to find a way to get a point, that’s big.”
A win by the Blues would have placed them in a tie for the Central Division’s top spot.
“[It’s] always good to get a point you didn’t think you’d have 10 minutes before that,” Perron said. “Our energy wasn’t the greatest, but we found it in the third and pushed pretty good.”
They are one point back of first place, the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets are tied for the divisional lead.
Cam Ward made 37 saves to get the win for Chicago who improved to 35-33-12; the Hawks were officially eliminated form the playoff race on Tuesday.
Patrick Kane scored once and had two points on the night for a career high 107 points;Â Jonathan Toews set a career high with his 35the goal of the campaign.
“Well, they’re great players, but I probably knew that,” Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton said. “They compete hard. They love to play, they love to win, they want to be the guys counted on in big situations, and those are the kinds of guys you want to coach. Obviously every night there’s countless plays that you feel pretty happy to have them on your bench.”
Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for the Blues who dropped to 43-28-9.
“Just to be able to put on the Blackhawks jersey is something special, just knowing the rich history and to get the opportunity to be here. I’ve had an unbelievable experience,” Ward said. “Obviously we would have liked to have been in the playoffs and ultimately we fell short of that goal. It’s such a great organization and as a player you’re very fortunate to be a part of it. Who knows what the future holds but we’ll take care of that once the season’s over.”
Artem Anisimov had a goal for the Blackhawks.
[WATCH: All Blues vs. Blackhawks highlights]
Jake Allen made 35 saves in the loss.
“There’s a lot at stake, but we have a playoff spot wrapped up and it’s tough to play these games,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “You’re playing a team that really has nothing to play for and they can be hard games. It takes a lot of mental approach to get yourself ready to play.”
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