ST. LOUIS — In a thrilling matchup, Jordan Kyrou notched his 30th goal of the season as the St. Louis Blues secured a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Sunday night. This win marks the Blues’ sixth consecutive triumph. Robert Thomas was instrumental in the win, contributing with three assists.
Goals from Brayden Schenn, Alexandre Texier, and Justin Faulk fueled the Blues’ victory, while Jordan Binnington stood tall between the pipes, making 31 crucial saves. With this win, St. Louis now enjoys a four-point cushion over the Calgary Flames for the coveted second Western Conference wild-card berth.
On the other side, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg found the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Justus Annunen managed 14 saves for the Predators, who are experiencing a rough patch, having lost five of their last six outings.
Faulk extended the Blues’ lead with his fourth goal of the season, bringing the score to 3-1 just 10:30 into the third period. Earlier, Forsberg’s 28th goal of the season brought Nashville within one on a power play, just over a minute into the second period.
Texier, scoring for the first time since February 5 on a power play, doubled St. Louis’ lead to 2-0 towards the end of the first period. Kyrou opened the scoring 12:13 into the first, marking another impressive season with 30 goals for the third time running.
Analysis of the Game: The Predators face an uphill battle to keep their playoff dreams alive, now trailing St. Louis by 21 points for the second Western Conference wild-card spot, with only 12 games left in their schedule.
An exciting moment for the Blues was the NHL debut of Dalibor Dvorsky, who stepped in with Pavel Buchnevich absent due to illness and Oskar Sundqvist taking a maintenance day.
In a notable incident, Blues forward Zack Bolduc received a major penalty and a game misconduct 6:27 before the final whistle for cross-checking Nick Blankenburg, following Blankenburg’s trip on Thomas. Blankenburg was dealt a minor penalty for his action.
St. Louis has excelled since the Four Nations Face-Off, boasting a 12-2-2 record in their last 16 games.
Looking ahead, Nashville is set to face Carolina, while the St. Louis Blues will host Montreal in their next matchup, scheduled for Tuesday night.