Blues 4, Oilers 2
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues got their home-ice swagger back Friday night.
Vladimir Sobotka broke a tie early in the third period and Jaroslav Halak made 15 saves to lead the Blues to a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers before 19,476 at Scottrade Center.
St. Louis, which led the NHL with a 30-6-5 home mark last season, had just one win in its previous seven home games before facing the Oilers.
But the magic resurfaced in the form of four answered goals.
The Blues, who had been outscored 26-11 in 1-5-1 slump at home, improved to 5-5-1 on friendly ice. They are 10-2-1 in their last 13 against the Oilers.
Sobotka picked up a loose puck behind the net and skated in front before whipping a shot past Edmonton goalie Devan Dubynk at 4:28. David Backes added a late tally to put the game away.
Edmonton's Taylor Hall and Ryan Whitney scored in a 23-second span late in the first period but Jaden Schwartz and Kevin Shattenkirk scored second-period goals for the Blues to tie the game.
Halak, who improved to 5-1-1, made 12 successive saves to close the game after the first-period blitz.
Schwartz broke the Blues home ice scoreless drought of 94 minutes, 47 seconds by scoring from the slot early in the second period. Shattenkirk, who is tied for the team lead with 16 points, tied the game on a slapshot from just inside the blue line. The power-play tally broke an 0-for-14 skid with the man advantage.
Hall converted off a scramble in front of the net for his fourth goal of the season. Whitney scored off a cross-ice pass from Ryan Smyth for a 2-0 lead.
Dubynk is 0-7-0 lifetime against St. Louis.
NOTES -- St. Louis recorded its fourth sellout of the season Friday. ... Edmonton has outscored the opposition 15-14 in the first period this season. ... The Blues recorded the first seven shots of the game. ... Edmonton has not won more than two games in a row this season. ... The Oilers are coming off a 5-1 win in Dallas on Thursday, their first win in Dallas since Dec. 8, 2006. ... The Blues begin a season-high five-game road trip Sunday in Dallas. ... This is the first of three meetings between the teams over the next 26 days. .... St. Louis LW Chris Porter played in his 100th NHL game.
