ST. LOUIS — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday night, the St. Louis Blues narrowly defeated the Calgary Flames with a score of 2-1 thanks to a pivotal third-period goal by Radek Faksa. This goal, which marked his third of the season, came at 8:49 in the period when he deftly redirected a shot from Tyler Tucker. It was Faksa’s first goal since November 17.
The Blues also saw Colton Parayko contribute, scoring just 49 seconds into the game, netting his ninth goal of the season, which is just shy of his career-high. Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington was instrumental in goal for St. Louis, making 26 saves as they extended their winning streak against Calgary to five games. The Blues now hold an impressive 9-1-0 record in their last ten encounters with the Flames.
The Flames managed to put one on the board as well, with Kevin Bahl scoring, while Dan Vladar had 23 saves, but they could not continue their three-game winning streak. Bahl tied the game at 6:06 in the third period with his second goal of the season, the first since December 3.
The Flames maintained their lineup from the previous game against Chicago, where they claimed a decisive 5-2 victory, opting to start Vladar in goal for Dustin Wolf during this back-to-back challenge. Conversely, the Blues came into the game eager to respond positively to criticism from their coach, Jim Montgomery, following a recent loss to Columbus. They established an early lead and demonstrated resilience after the Flames leveled the score in the final period.
One of the defining moments attributed to the Blues’ win was an impressive effort by Alexey Toropchenko, who kept the puck in the offensive zone, allowing Tucker to shoot the puck that set up Faksa’s crucial tip-in goal.
In terms of career achievements, Parayko’s goal was significant as it marked the 70th of his NHL career. He now stands fifth in franchise history for goals scored by a defenseman, trailing behind notable players such as Al MacInnis, Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Pronger, and Jeff Brown.
Looking ahead, the Blues and Flames are set to face off once more at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Thursday night.
