Walker leads Blues past Detroit

In St Louis, Nathan Walker scored his first NHL hat trick in a 6-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

“It was incredible,” Walker said. “I guess that was it. I was just happy we got the two points and we can move on to the next game now.”

Walker, who played professional hockey in Australia before coming to the NHL, was born in Cardiff, Wales.

“I knew I tipped it and I saw the back of the net,” Walker said. “I didn’t know whether it might have hit ‘Sunny’ (forward Oskar Sundqvist) on the way in or ‘Schenner’ (forward Brayden Schenn). I wasn’t sure about that. I knew I tipped it and I saw the back of the net, so I just figured I’d [celebrate].”

Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves in the Blues win.

St Louis was one skater short, because of COVID19 protocols, injuries and cap considerations.

“I think a lot of the nerves that I get is more so before the puck drops,” Lindgren said, “and then once that puck drops, you really just want to go out and play and feel the puck. And I thought Detroit, they were trying to put a lot of pucks to the net early and that always kind of helps just trying to get a rhythm. And I think our team scoring a couple goals early, that always helps to kind of settle me in and we end up potting six. So, really, really good team effort tonight.”

Robby Fabbri hit for a pair of goals for Detroit.

“It’s another tough one,” Fabbri said. “Digging ourselves in a hole and it’s hard to come out of.”

The Red Wings dropped to 13-11-3.

“I think it was one of those nights in the first two periods where the puck went in for them and it didn’t go in for us,” Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill said. “I felt we had as many opportunities if not more than them.”

Colton Parayko and Ivan Barbashev also scored for St Louis.

The Blues’ Marco Scandella scored an empty net goal for the 6-3 final.