Brett Hull scored twice in the third period, including the go-ahead goal with 74 seconds remaining, as the St. Louis Blues edged the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3, for their third straight win.
With the score tied, 3-3, goaltender Kirk McLean stopped Hull's shot from the right faceoff circle. Geoff Courtnall grabbed the rebound and passed into the right corner to Pierre Turgeon, who fed the puck back to the circle, where Hull put a one-timer through McLean's pads.
"We've been doing good all year at coming back," Hull said. "It's holding the lead that's been awful."
It was the 23rd goal of the season for Hull, who moved into a tie for the league lead with his sixth game-winner.
"With him lingering around the slot area, you have to be on him. You can almost read it coming, he doesn't need any time. You have to be right on him and take his stick away," McLean said.
Hull's first goal of the game broke a 1-1 tie 51 seconds into the third period. But Vancouver surged ahead as Pavel Bure and David Roberts scored in a 24-second span.
Jamie Rivers tied it with 4:44 remaining when he scored his first NHL goal, fluttering a one-timer over McLean's left shoulder.
"It felt good, that's for sure, especially being out on the ice for their third goal," Rivers said. "You just want to be out there when we tie it. Whether you're lucky enough to score is another thing. It felt good, especially at home. We have a big crowd tonight and they were cheering me on.
"When I was shooting it I wasn't thinking goal," he added. "Then I did a little bit of a celebration there, I'm not sure what it was. You always wonder what you do when you score your first NHL goal, I couldn't even control myself."
Joe Murphy had the other goal for the Blues, who have won four of their last five games and are 4-2 under coach Joel Quenneville. St. Louis avenged an embarrasing 8-0 home loss to the Canucks on December 15th.
"They were more passionate, their effort certainly displayed that," Vancouver coach Tom Renney said of the Blues. "I think they did what St. Louis teams usually do. I think they maybe worked harder to execute that."
The loss was Vancouver's third in 10 games (6-3-1).
"When we came back and we had the lead, instead of playing like the way we played, we kind of took off," Bure observed. "They got a break on the shot from the blue line and they got a break on the fourth goal, too. It's kind of sad. We were working hard for 55 minutes and the last five minutes we lost the game. They're working much harder than they were working before, and talent, they always had talent."
Murphy and the Canucks Russ Courtnall traded goals in the first period and the score remained tied into the third.
Hull put the Blues in front when he pounced on a rebound in the slot and snapped a shot inside the right goalpost.
"Look how good Conroy and (Scott) Pellerin and those guys are playing," he said. "It's because of the opportunities they've been getting. When you've got a team like we do of young and old guys, you need those young kids out there. They give everyone energy, especially that Conroy kid."
Bure, who had two goals and three assists in last month's rout at St. Louis, tied it at 7:38. St. Louis' Craig Conroy could not clear the puck out of his own zone, enabling Martin Gelinas and Bure to break in 2-on-none. Gelinas slid the puck across to Bure, who waited before flipping it into an open net for his 20th goal.
The Blues had trouble clearing their zone again on the next shift and Gelinas kept the puck in along the left boards before setting up Roberts for his seventh goal of the season and second in as many games.
Vancouver was held to 15 shots, including just seven over the final two periods. McLean made 30 saves, but fell to 11-8-1.
Jon's 3 stars:
1. Brett Hull
2. Dave Roberts
3. Pierre Turgeon
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