|
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Roman Turek got involved early, a perfect
scenario for a struggling goalie.
Emerging from a midseason slump, Turek made 12 of his 27 saves
in the first period en route to his fifth shutout in the St. Louis
Blues' 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
"I've said many times before I like action instead of just
waiting for a couple shots in one period," Turek said. "They had
pretty good chances in the first period and that helped me play a
good game."
In the first period, Turek stopped Adrian Aucoin on a deflection
at 2:30 and Markus Naslund, who leads the NHL with 28 goals, in
front at 18:15. The Canucks had an 11-1 advantage in shots with
about seven minutes to go in the period, but were neutralized the
rest of the way.
"Roman kept us in there early and got us a chance to get in the
game," coach Joel Quenneville said. "They definitely had the play
early in the game and Roman was real solid."
Quenneville said Turek "likely" would make his third straight
start Sunday at Nashville.
The Blues, second in the NHL with 67 points and a 31-9-4-1
record, won consecutive games for the first time this month.
They've struggled in January, going 5-4-0-1.
Scott Young scored his team-leading 22nd goal short-handed in
the third period to wrap it up. Reid Simpson and Jochen Hecht also
scored for the Blues.
St. Louis got its eighth overall shutout and first since backup
Brent Johnson blanked Columbus on Dec. 26. Turek, whose last shutout
was Dec. 5 against Anaheim, has won his last two outings after
losing four of five.
The Canucks have been outscored 14-5 during a three-game losing
streak, their first since Dec. 20-23 when they dropped two games in
overtime.
Canucks backup goalie Bob Essensa started in place of struggling
Felix Potvin and made 27 saves. Potvin was yanked for the fourth
time this season after giving up three goals in 66 seconds in a 7-3
loss to Colorado on Thursday.
"Bob was fine and did a decent job with the puck," coach Marc
Crawford said. "Our goaltending situation is something we have to
deal with."
Simpson scored on the Blues' second shot at 15:10 of the first
with a shot that slithered between Essensa's pads.
"I thought we had a real solid first period until I gave up
that cheesy goal," Essensa said. "That was a big momentum shift
for them. This is one of those buildings where you can't give up
any softies."
Hecht, who ended a 12-game goal slump with a third-period
deflection in a 4-1 victory over the Oilers on Thursday, made it
2-0 on the power play at 7:11 of the second. The puck squibbed
between Essensa's pads after Pierre Turgeon deflected Al MacInnis'
slap shot from the point, and Hecht tapped it in.
Young outraced the defense after a lead pass from Mike Eastwood
and beat Essensa from the left circle at 7:56 of the third while
Hecht was off for slashing.
Game notes
Injured Blues forward Pavol Demitra has four goals in two
games against the Canucks. Demitra is expected back from a bruised
retina in his right eye after the All-Star Game. ... The Blues are
26-0-1 when leading after two periods this season, and 67-1-5 the
last three seasons. ... The Blues lead the NHL with nine
short-handed goals, one more than the Canucks.
|
|
ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Vancouver Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 3
Atlanta 2
Los Angeles 6
Carolina 3
Colorado 2
San Jose 1
NY Rangers 2
Montreal 2
Ottawa 3
Tampa Bay 0
Philadelphia 5
Florida 3
Toronto 2
Buffalo 0
St. Louis 3
Vancouver 0
Edmonton 2
Detroit 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 The Blues' Roman Turek makes the glove save against Adrian Aucoin.
avi: 527 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Chris Pronger Official Site
|
