Vegas trip up Blues in OT

Despite losing to the Golden Knights in Vegas on Friday, the St Louis Blues used the loser’s point to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Jonathan Marchessault scored for the Knights late in extra time to give them a 4-3 win.

“That’s great news especially after tonight’s outcome. That wasn’t what we wanted,” the Blues’ Ryan O’Reilly said. “It’s good we’re in the playoffs. It’s something guys worked hard for. It hasn’t been easy. But, yeah, it’s exciting. We’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep tweaking our game. Guys worked hard, and it’s good to see.”

Robin Lehner made 22 saves in the win.

“It’s no secret (that) the last couple of games, Minnesota and today, I let in some goals that weren’t really good,” Lehner said. “Just took a breath in the second period and tried to go out there and do my best. We have a special group here. Everyone came here and we did what we needed to do.”

O’Reilly, David Perron and Jaden Schwartz were the Blues’ strikers in the loss.

“Overall, I thought guys competed hard throughout the whole game, 60 minutes,” Blues head coach Craig Berube said. “‘Binner’ played well in net, guys did a good job. We found a way to get a point, and that’s all we needed.

“… Our team has battled through a lot of injuries this year. … We’ve had guys step in and do a good job and play and contribute and win games. I’m proud of our guys. They competed hard all year.”

Reilly Smith and Alec Martinez scored for the Golden Knights in regulation.

The arena was approved for 50% capacity on Friday night.

“It was awesome,” Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer said. “Every time they open up a new level of attendance, you can feel the energy in the building. We’re getting close to where we want to be that way, but it sure is starting to feel full compared to where we were a couple of months ago.”

Nicolas Roy forced the extra session with a tying goal in the third period.

Jordan Binnington made 31 saves in the loss.

“Obviously, it feels good,” Bozak said. “You play this game to get in the playoffs and try to win the Stanley Cup, so obviously getting in is the first step and it’s obviously a testament to our group.”