Pavel Buchnevich had two goals and three assists as the St. Louis Blues routed the visiting Anaheim Ducks 6-2 Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
Robert Thomas had a goal and two assists and Jordan Kyrou had three assists for the Blues. Noel Acciari, Brayden Schenn and Torey Krug also scored and goaltender Jordan Binnington made 30 saves.
Cam Fowler and Adam Henrique each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games.
Anaheim goaltender John Gibson allowed five goals on 29 shots before Anthony Stolarz relieved him for the third period.
The Blues applied pressure from the opening faceoff and built a 10-1 shot advantage through the first 10 minutes of the first period. They finally broke through to take a 1-0 lead with 7:16 left in the period.
Faulk fired a wrist shot from the center point, and Acciari redirected it past Gibson while breaking to the net.
Buchnevich made it 2-0 with 3:53 left in the first period by scoring from the slot off Thomas’ deft pass.
The Blues started fast in the second period too. Just 62 seconds in, Buchnevich took a pass from Thomas and lifted a backhand shot into the net to increase the Blues’ lead to 3-0.
Schenn made it 4-0 by racing up the right wing on an odd-man rush and scoring from the right circle.
The Ducks cut their deficit to 4-1 with a power-play goal 6:43 into the period. Fowler scored with a slap shot through Troy Terry’s screen.
But the Blues countered with Krug’s power-play slap shot to push their lead to 5-1 with 11:16 left in the second period.
Henrique’s power-play goal, on a deflection of Fowler’s slap shot, cut Anaheim’s deficit to 5-2 with 11:19 to play in the third. Thomas converted a 2-on-1 rush with Kyrou to restore the Blues’ four-goal lead with 4:32 to go.
–Field Level Media
