Blues 3, Flames 2
ST. LOUIS -- Because they were playing at the same time, St. Louis Blues left winger Alexander Steen had no way of knowing Thursday night that Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos had tied him for the most goals in the NHL.
It didn't matter -- he scored anyway to retake the lead.
Steen's second-period goal, his 14th of the season, proved to be the winner as the Blues built a 3-0 lead and hung on for a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
Steen has a point in his last nine games, a career high, scoring 10 goals and adding two assists during that span.
Steen broke the short-lived tie for the goal-scoring lead with Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who scored his 13th goal of the season on Thursday night, and Stamkos of Tampa Bay, who scored twice Thursday night to also increase his season total to 13.
St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott, starting only his third game this season, posted the 100th win of his NHL career despite allowing two third-period goals by the Flames' Tim Jackman and Mike Cammalleri.
The Flames were 0 for 6 on the power play and have now failed to score with a man advantage in their last 28 opportunities covering nine games as they lost for the fourth time in their last five games.
Calgary's final power play chance came in the last three minutes of the game, but the Flames could not manage to score the tying goal.
The Blues gave Elliott a 2-0 lead in the first period before Steen's goal at 5:55 of the second period made it 3-0.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored a power-play goal 3:01 into the game, knocking in a rebound off a shot by former Flame Jay Bouwmeester, to start the Blues' scoring against Calgary goalie Reto Berra, a former Blues prospect.
Maxim Lapierre scored his first goal as a member of the Blues at 10:12 of the first period, deflecting a shot by Jordan Leopold past Berra. Kevin Shattenkirk collected the second assist, giving him an assist in each of the Blues' last seven games.
NOTES: Flames G Reto Berra was originally selected by the Blues in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. He was part of a deal on April 1 that brought Bouwmeester to the Blues. ... The Flames said LW Curtis Glencross is expected to miss six weeks because of an MCL sprain suffered in their loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night. To replace Glencross, the Flames recalled C Max Reinhart from Abbotsford of the AHL. ... After starting Tuesday night's game on a line with LW Vladimir Sobotka and C Derek Roy, RW T.J. Oshie was back on the Blues' top line on Thursday night with C David Backes and Steen. RW Chris Stewart moved back to the second line. ... Thursday night's game opened a five-game homestand for the Blues, who will play host to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. The Flames play at Colorado on Friday night.
