Blues hand slumping Canadiens 6th straight loss
St. Louis' Buchnevich notches goal and assist, Lindgren makes 22 saves
Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves and Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and assist, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win over the slumping Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.
Ivan Barbashev, Dakota Joshua and Torey Krug also scored for St. Louis.
The Blues have won seven straight home games, their longest streak since capturing nine in a row from Dec. 12, 2019-Jan. 13, 2020.
"He made some big saves at big times for us," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said.
Alexander Romanov scored for Montreal, ending the Canadiens' scoring drought of 134:49. Montreal has lost six in a row. Jake Allen, who spent seven seasons in St. Louis, made 33 saves in his seventh straight start for the Canadiens.
WATCH l Joshua's nifty deke helps lift Blues over Canadiens:
Vladimir Tarasenko added two assists for the Blues, who have picked up points in seven of their last eight games.
Lindgren made 29 saves in a 6-2 win over Detroit on Thursday. The 27-year-old saw his first action in almost two years in a relief stint against Florida two days earlier. He is listed as the fourth goalie on the Blues' depth chart.
"Player of the Game tonight for us for sure," St. Louis C Matthew Peca said.
Due to injuries and COVID issues, the Blues were forced to dress six players that began the season with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.
"They're excited for sure and they want to prove themselves," Berube said. "They want to play well."
Lindgren, Peca, Joshua, Logan Brown, Nathan Walker and Scott Perunovich make up the Springfield connection.
"It fun, just trying to make the most of the opportunity," Joshua said. "It's nice to be able to step in and help the guys be able to get a win."
Buchnevich converted from close range just 63 seconds into the game. He has nine goals and 11 assists in his last 17 games.
'I just made a move and I was able to put it in'
Joshua converted on a 2-on-1 off a pass from Logan Brown for a 2-0 cushion in the second. It was Joshua's first score of the season.
"It was a nice pass," Joshua said. "I just made a move and I was able to put it in."
Barbashev pushed the lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal off a shot from the slot with 4:40 left in the second period.
Allen managed to keep the game close with a series of strong saves in the first period.
"It's obviously been a little frustrating," Allen said. "It hasn't been easy. I think we need more [effort], no question. I think every guy in the locker room would say that. We need more from everyone."
WATCH l 9 super creative NHL plays:
