Kyrou scores 2, Blues beat Flames 5-2 for third straight win

By The Associated Press on December 16, 2022.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Jordan Kyrou scored twice, Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich each had a goal and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 Friday night for their third straight win.

Brandon Saad also scored, and Brayden Schenn and Robert Thomas each had two assists for the Blues. Thomas Greiss stopped 40 shots to win for the fourth time in five starts and improve to 4-4-0 on the season.

Connor Mackey scored twice for Calgary, which has lost five straight (0-3-2) and was booed by the home crowd at the final buzzer. Dillon Dube and Elias Lindholm each had two assists, and Jacob Markstrom finished with 18 saves.

Tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, St. Louis took the lead for good early in the second period. Just seconds after Dube and Andrew Mangiapane failed to get a shot on goal during a dangerous 2-on-1 rush for the Flames, the Blues came back up the ice with a three-way passing sequence capped off by Kyrou, who snapped a shot over Markstrom’s shoulder for his 12th at 3:08.

A key moment came when three straight St. Louis penalties put the Flames on the power play for nearly six continuous minutes – including a 22-second two-man advantage – against the league’s worst penalty kill (67.1%). However, Calgary was unable to generate any dangerous chances.

The Blues made it 3-1 at 3:46 of the third when a lapse in defensive coverage gave Buchnevich an unimpeded path to the net and he fired a shot inside the goalpost for his 10th.

The Flames briefly got back into the game when Mackey scored his second of the night – and second of the season – at 7:40, beating Greiss over his glove after being set up by Dube.

St. Louis restored its two-goal advantage just 1:18 later thanks to a bad turnover by Mackey, who flung the puck up the middle from behind his net where it was intercepted by Saad, who took advantage, scoring his seventh of the season.

A minute later, it was Kyrou again, this time his shot deflecting in off the skate of Flames defenseman Mackenzie Weegar and in at 9:59. It was Kyrou’s team-leading 13th goal.

The Flames were 0 for 3 with the man advantage while the Blues went 1 for 2.

St. Louis opened up the scoring 4:07 into the game, capitalizing on a turnover in the offensive zone by Elias Lindholm that led to a 2-on-1 with Thomas and Barbashev, who buried the return pass for just his second goal in his last 16 games.

Calgary tied it 1-1 with 3:59 left when Dube’s shot deflected in off Mackey. Dube has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his last 10 games.

LINEUP CHANGES

Dube was on a new line with coach Darryl Sutter flip-flopping his top two left wings. Dube joined Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli and Jonathan Huberdeau dropped down to play alongside Nazem Kadri and Mangiapane.

SINGING THE BLUES

The Flames continue to struggle head to head against St. Louis, losing seven of the last eight meetings.

MACKEY’S MOMENT

Mackey’s two goals were the second and third of his career but first in front of a crowd as his first one came in the final game of the 2020-21 season in an empty Saddledome, due to COVID restrictions. Connor’s dad, Dave, spent his final three NHL seasons from 1991-94 with the Blues.

UP NEXT

Blues: At Vancouver on Monday night in the third of a season-high five-game trip.

Flames: At San Jose on Sunday night to open a four-game trip with the first of two straight against the Sharks.

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AP NHL: http://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Sports

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