In Pittsburgh, the visiting St Louis Blues returned to the form that pushed them into the post season position they occupy.
Jordan Binnington made 40 saves to help the Blues defeat the Penguins, 5-1.
“We had a lot of emotion,” Binnington said. “I think that’s important this time of year. We were playing hard for each other.”
Jordan Binnington stopped 40 in win over Pittsburgh – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
The win enabled the Blues to move into sole possession of third place in the Central Division, two points ahead of the Dallas Stars.
St Louis improved to 37-27-7.
Vince Dunn struck for two goals in the win as the Blues stopped a three-game stretch of poor offensive output.
“Obviously, you’re not creating those [goals] by yourself,” Dunn said. “The forwards did a great job pressuring them and getting the puck back when we got it in. They found us up high. The forwards played really well tonight. The D got their pucks through.”
Pat Maroon scored and had an assist in the victory.
“I thought we started the game off really well, which is a key here in this rink. [The Penguins] start fast,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “I thought that we got the puck in deep, went to work, controlled the play in the offensive zone. That was a big key, I think, for us tonight.”
Oskar Sundqvist and Jay Bouwmeester also scored for St Louis.
Dominik Simon scored the Penguins’ lone goal.
“We knew we were going to play a team that was going to play with a certain level of desperation. They had lost a couple in a row,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’re fighting for the playoffs. They’re a proud team, and they’re a good team. So we knew we were going to have to bring a certain level of urgency right from the drop of the puck.”
The Penguins dropped to 39-24-9.
The Pens occupy the third slot in the Metro Division but are being pushed by the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets who are both just four points off the pace.
“I think our mentality has to be a playoff one,” Sidney Crosby said. “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. You’ve got to be able to forget about it.”
[WATCH: All Blues vs. Penguins highlights]
Matt Murray got the start for the Pens but was given the hook after yielding four goals and making just nine saves.
“It’s more quality than quantity, I think,” Murray said. “They got a few really good chances. I wasn’t able to make a save. So I definitely have to be better. As a team, I think we played a pretty good game for the most part. So we have to take the positives from it and forget the result.”
Casey DeSmith relieved Murray and made 12 saves.
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