Luke Evangelista and Filip Forsberg each logged two goals in a three-point game and the visiting Nashville Predators scored four times in the second period in an 8-3 rout the St. Louis Blues on Friday.
Kiefer Sherwood had a goal and two assists for the Predators, who won their fourth straight game. Ryan O’Reilly scored for Nashville in his return to St. Louis, while Yakov Trenin and Spencer Stastney also scored for the Predators. Alexandre Carrier had two assists.
Kevin Lankinen made 36 saves for Nashville to earn the victory.
Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas had a goal and an assist apiece and Jake Neighbours also scored for the Blues, who have allowed 24 goals in their last five games.
Blues goaltender Joel Hofer allowed four goals on 15 shots before giving way early in the second period to Jordan Binnington, who allowed four goals on 20 shots.
Nashville broke out to a 3-0 lead less than 14 minutes into the game.
Forsberg got it started with a tap-in goal after Gustav Nyquist’s shot trickled past Hofer. Just 28 seconds later, Trenin converted a three-on-one break while moving in from left wing.
With the Blues reeling, Evangelista capitalized with an open-side goal when the puck caromed to him in the lower left circle.
The Blues cut their deficit to 3-1 in the first period when Buchnevich came down the middle to score off Marco Scandella’s centering pass.
But Nashville scored three unanswered goals in the first six minutes of the second period to push the game out of reach at 6-1.
Stastney scored as the trailer amid a four-on-two rush, O’Reilly tapped in a five-on-three power-play goal off a back-door feed, and Evangelista banged in a rebound as Nashville’s power play ended.
Thomas scored from the left circle for the Blues, but that did not change the game’s momentum. Forsberg snapped a goal while stepping into the low slot to make it 7-2.
The Blues cut their deficit to 7-3 in the third period when Neighbours deflected in a Torey Krug shot with 14:37 left to play. But Sherwood’s rebound conversion made it 8-3.
–Field Level Media
