Jordan Binnington made 40 saves as the host St. Louis Blues defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Wednesday night.
Alexey Toropchenko, Jake Neighbours and Brandon Saad scored for the Blues, who won their second straight game and moved within six points of the second Western Conference wild-card spot.
Adrian Kempe scored and Cam Talbot made 27 saves for the Kings, who suffered just their second regulation loss in their last seven games.
The Kings controlled play for much of the first period while outshooting the Blues 14-9.
But Binnington kept the Kings off the board with razor-sharp goaltending and Toropchenko put St. Louis up 1-0. He took a pass from Nick Leddy, looped above the right circle and threw a turnaround shot past Talbot with 2:30 left in the period.
The Blues doubled their lead 1:57 into the second period by scoring on the rush. Zachary Bolduc took a pass from Justin Faulk, broke in on right wing and shoveled the puck toward the net.
Faulk drove down the middle and Neighbours raced in from left wing to punch the puck through Talbot.
While the Blues were on their first power play, the Kings nearly scored short-handed. Drew Doughty broke to the net on a two-on-one rush and deflected a pass out of midair, but Binnington denied him.
A few minutes later, the Kings’ Quinton Byfield backhanded a follow-up shot off the right post during a goal-mouth scramble.
Talbot stopped Saad’s walk-in from the right circle early in the third to keep the Kings within range. Talbot also stopped Kevin Hayes from the slot off a three-on-one rush.
Saad upped the Blues’ lead to 3-0, redirecting a pass from Colton Parayko past Talbot from a tough angle with 9:34 remaining in the game.
Binnington’s bid for his 16th career shutout ended when Kempe scored from the top of the crease with 6:52 left.
–Field Level Media
