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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Scott Young now has something in common with
Brett Hull.
Young scored two goals as St. Louis beat the Columbus Blue
Jackets 4-1 Thursday night.
Young became the first Blues player to score 40 goals since Hull
netted 42 in the 1996-97 season.
"Maybe this year is similar to one he's having," Young said of
the comparison to Hull. "But over the course of our careers, Brett
Hull has had a heck of a career. My numbers don't come close, but I
appreciate (the comparison)."
Young, who entered the game with 38 goals, has 29 points in his
last 29 games and is happy the chase to 40 goals is over.
"It feels good," Young said. "What really feels good is the
way my teammates were trying to set me up all night. I really
appreciate all the support."
Pierre Turgeon scored his 30th goal and had an assist. Turgeon,
who extended his scoring streak to five games, has scored 30 goals
nine times in his career.
Keith Tkachuk added a goal and an assist for St. Louis, which
snapped a five-game winless streak. It was the Blues' fifth victory
in their last 24 games and second victory at Savvis Center since
the beginning of March.
St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville said the Blues are playing
better.
"One thing, I thought we were better with the puck tonight,"
Quenneville said. "You could see the difference when we had the
puck. We were getting the puck up ice and getting a lot more direct
plays."
Columbus' Jamie Heward ended Roman Turek's shutout bid with 9:02
remaining. Turek made 26 saves and won for just the second time
since Feb. 26.
"We had some good opportunities to score in the second period
and hung in there," Columbus center Tyler Wright said. "He shut
the door and that's obviously what there looking for to try and get
their game back."
Tkachuk got the Blues off to a rare quick start when he
deflected Al MacInnis' slap shot from the right point past Columbus
goalie Marc Denis for his 34th goal. Entering Thursday's game, St.
Louis had allowed the first goal in 20 of its last 27 contests.
"We came out and got the first goal for a change and really
kind of built from there," Blues defenseman Chris Pronger said.
Young took a centering pass from Turgeon and put a shot between
Denis' pads 53 seconds into the second period for his 39th goal.
Turgeon made it 3-0 at 4:46 of the period when Denis lost
control of Sean Hill's shot. Turgeon flipped the rebound into an
empty net.
Young added his 40th goal when he scored on a breakaway at 8:23
of the third period while the Blue Jackets were short-handed.
"This was a good game for St. Louis," Columbus coach Dave King
said. "They really want to get their playoff game in place and
they looked good."
Game notes
Columbus' Lyle Odelein played in his 800th game. ...
MacInnis, who had two assists, has 11 points in nine games since
returning from an eye injury. ... The loss snapped the Blue
Jackets' two-game unbeaten streak. ... St. Louis is 32-1-3-2 when
leading after two periods. ... The Blues close out the regular
season Saturday at home against Nashville.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Columbus Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 3
Florida 0
Detroit 4
Atlanta 0
Montreal 3
Philadelphia 2
NY Rangers 4
Tampa Bay 3
Nashville 4
Calgary 0
St. Louis 4
Columbus 1
Vancouver 3
Los Angeles 2
San Jose 3
Phoenix 0
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Pierre Turgeon puts home the rebound off the Sean Hill miss.
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