In a season where every game is a four-point divisional match, the St Louis Blues took advantage of the set up on Thursday night, and padded their lead for the fourth playoff spot in the West.
Ryan O’Reilly struck with 3:43 gone in extra time to defeat the Minnesota Wild, 5-4, in St Paul.
“I was kind of struggling a bit early on in the game and wasn’t really creating much,” O’Reilly said. “But to be able to come through and get one to kind of seal the two points for us, it definitely feels very good.”
Ville Husso made 26 saves to get the win.
O’Reilly also scored in regulation.
“I think you go through ups and downs with that throughout the season, depending on the situation and what’s going on with your team at the time. But right now, guys are feeling good and we’re a pretty confident team,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “We’re really doing a good job, the guys are really playing together as a team out there. … Guys are really backing each other up and cheering each other on. We’ve got real good team spirit right now.”
The Wild are 0-1-1 since winning seven straight.
Kirill Kaprizov made the extra session necessary with a last minute strike.
“I mean, [St. Louis is] a very desperate hockey club right now with the situation that they’re in,” Minnesota’s Matt Dumba said. “I think we’re right where we need to be. Clinched a playoff spot, and just working the kinks out of our game so we’re ready come playoffs. It’s all preparation for that now.”
Sammy Blais and Tyler Bozak (shorthanded) gave the Blues a 2-0 lead in the game.
“I’ve always said, ‘When you’re confident, the game just seems easier out there,'” Bozak, said. “The plays seem to happen more. You seem to get more bounces. I don’t know what it is. It’s not easy to get confidence. You have to work for it and it’s pretty easy to lose it. We’ve got to keep working hard, keep improving and can’t take any steps back.”
Marco Scandella pushed the lead out to 3-0 in the middle frame.
The wild rallied back, starting with a goal from Joel Eriksson Ek.
“He was an absolute beast,” Wild head coach Dean Evason said. “It’s incredible. His drive, his will, his size, his strength. … He’s just a hard, hard guy to play against. We said in there, all of us ex-players, that he would be a tough guy to play against, frustrating as [heck].”
Victor Rask also scored for the Wild.
Cam Talbot made 16 saves in the loss.
“What we saw last night was a great two periods and not a great third. Tonight we saw two terrible periods and a great third,” Evason said. “It’s encouraging that we know it’s there. … We were awful at the start of the hockey game, and they took advantage of it.
“So, no, there’s no concern, obviously. It’s two teams playing hard, and if you cut it up it’s probably pretty even.”
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