CALGARY — Scoring game-winning goals is starting to become a habit for David Perron.
Perron's goal at 2:46 of overtime on Saturday night, his fifth deciding goal of the season, earned the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames, extending their winning streak to seven games.
After TJ Brodie was sent off in the extra period for a hold on Jaden Schwartz, St. Louis took full advantage with Perron one-timing Ryan O'Reilly's pass inside the post for his eighth goal of the season.
“I haven’t been out on 4-on-3’s that much in my career so you kind of have to get a feel for it the first few seconds,” Perron said. “The guys did a good job. O’Reilly put it right in my wheelhouse there and I was able to put it home.”
The Blues, who entered the day with the league's third best power play, finished 2-for-4 on the night. During the winning streak, they're 8-for-23. Calgary went 0-for-2.
It was St. Louis' fifth overtime victory, each of them coming in this current seven-game stretch.
“We’re just finding a way to get it done,” said O'Reilly, who also had a goal, his set up by Perron. “We’re confident going into these situations. We’re not flustered even though we wanted to hold them off the right way. We’re confident. (Jordan Binnington) back there was playing unbelievable, poised. We’re just confident.”
O'Reilly has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) and Perron has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) during the winning streak that has the Blues second overall, two points back of the Washington Capitals.
“They've got a lot of guys, who can get a lot of looks,” said Travis Hamonic, who tied the game 2-2 at 16:04 of the third period. “I felt like we didn't give them much, but obviously, they know how to put it in.”
Ivan Barbashev also scored for St. Louis (12-3-3), which completes a perfect four-game road trip and improves its road winning streak to five games.
Matthew Tkachuk with his 10th goal also scored for Calgary (10-7-3). His goal at 10:59 of the third, rattling home a pass from Andrew Mangiapane, drew the Flames to within one and got Calgary's late-game comeback started.
“Probably the best team we played this year, just the way they're able to grind you and wear you down and play in the offensive zone and play the right way, finish their hits,” said Tkachuk. “They're a playoff team. They showed it last year and they're right in form this year.”
Hamonic also took solace in how Calgary was able to stay close with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
“We played a really good game two days ago. I think we played a good game tonight. You may not always get the result, but you're trying to build it as a group,” said the Flames defenceman. “In a game like that against a team like that, it's heavy, it's playoff atmosphere, playoff-style hockey the way that they play. I think we hung in there and took it to them at times.
Jordan Binnington had 27 stops for the win. He improved to 9-2-3.
Rittich, who made 25 saves, suffered the loss to fall to 9-4-3.
Down 1-0 in the second, Calgary squandered a chance to tie it, Michael Stone blasting a shot over the net from 30 feet out after he was set up in the slot by Mikael Backlund.
“In the second, we came down the pipe a couple of times and had some good looks,” Flames coach Bill Peters said. “I think you can learn from a game like this. I think there were times when we spent a little bit more time in the D zone than we wanted to and we weren’t clean breaking out.”
Notes: With Alex Steen (sprained ankle) sidelined after getting injured Wednesday in Edmonton, Jacob De La Rose made his Blues debut. Acquired via a trade with Detroit, he took Steen's spot on a line with Tyler Bozak and Sammy Blais... Calgary's Mark Jankowski is not only pointless through 17 games. He has yet to be on the ice for a Flames goal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2019.
Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press
