The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Saturday night, extending their winning streak to four games. Zach Werenski recorded a goal and an assist to lead the victory, while Sean Monahan notched his 600th NHL point.
In a tightly contested matchup at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, the Blue Jackets improved to six wins in their last seven games. The Blues, meanwhile, extended their skid to seven straight losses.
The game began with St. Louis striking first as Justin Faulk scored on their opening shot at 3:37 of the first period, beating goaltender Jet Greaves. Columbus responded quickly, with Charlie Coyle tying the score at 1-1 just 1:01 later on a rebound of Cole Sillinger's shot. Coyle has now tallied five points over his last two games.
In the second period, Werenski gave the Blue Jackets the lead at 2-1 with a wrist shot from the right circle at 8:05, marking his third consecutive game with a goal. The defenseman then set up Monahan's power-play goal at 5:07 of the third period, making it 3-1. Monahan's tally represented his 600th NHL point, comprising 264 goals and 336 assists in 829 games.
St. Louis narrowed the gap to 3-2 when Nick Bjugstad capitalized on a misplayed clearing attempt by Boone Jenner at 9:48 of the third. Greaves stood tall in net, making 37 saves, including 17 in the final frame. Blues goaltender Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots in the loss.
Blues coach Jim Montgomery noted some positive defensive habits post-game, despite the defeat. 'What I liked was our defensive habits were significantly better,' he said. 'And I liked our first period and our third period. The biggest dislike from the game was too many turnovers.' This loss marked St. Louis' best defensive effort since their October 21 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Kings, though turnovers proved costly.