Tkachuk's 2 goals help Blues clinch playoff spot
Keith Tkachuk scored twice for the first time since opening night and added an assist, helping the St. Louis Blues clinch their first playoff berth in four seasons with a 3-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.
Andy McDonald and Tkachuk scored power-play goals on two of the Blues' first three shots for a fast start against Columbus, no doubt flat two days after making it into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The 37-year-old Tkachuk, by far the oldest of the Blues, enjoyed a season-best three-point night and has three goals and four assists the last three games.
Chris Mason contributed a solid night in goal in his 32nd consecutive start for the Blues, who got a chance to clinch in front a sellout crowd in their home finale after Nashville's 8-4 loss at Minnesota in its season finale.
The Predators were knocked out with 8:41 to go in St. Louis and the Blues up by two, and fans erupted when the score was finally relayed by the P.A. announcer with about 2 minutes to go.
The Predators, Ducks and Blues, who wrap up the regular season Sunday at Colorado, entered the night in a three-way tie for seventh in the Western Conference.
Andy Murray won his 100th game in 2½ seasons as Blues coach, guiding a team that has been the NHL's best the second half of the season at 24-9-7 despite missing stars Erik Johnson, Paul Kariya and Eric Brewer much or all of the season. Kariya could be back after undergoing a pair of hip operations for the playoffs.
The Blues, last in the Western Conference as late as Feb. 15, reached 40 wins for the first since 2002-03. Tkachuk and defenseman Barret Jackman are the lone players left from the last playoff team.
St. Louis ended the Blue Jackets' franchise-record seven-game road unbeaten streak (4-0-3) and limited the losers to 17 shots, one above Columbus' season worst, while taking the season series 5-1.
McDonald scored his 10th goal off Tkachuk's feed through the crease at 3:19 of the first, only 16 seconds after Kris Russell was whistled for interference, and Tkachuk deflected the puck past Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason at 7:12 of the first while Jared Boll was serving a double-minor.
Columbus scored on the first shot of the second period, with Jiri Novotny getting an empty net after Chris Mason was drawn out at 4:25. The Blues answered with a goal on their first shot of the second, with the puck appearing to deflect off Tkachuk's calf on Jay McKee's dump-in.
Notes
Columbus D Kristian Huselius missed his third game with concussion-like symptoms and LW Fredrik Modin missed his 16th straight with a sprained knee. ... Tkachuk had two goals against Nashville in the opener Oct. 10. ... Murray is 100-85-32 in 2 1/2 seasons with the Blues and reached the century mark in 217 games, one more than it took Scotty Bowman in 1971. ... Tkachuk has 44 points (23 goals, 21 assists) in 45 career games against Columbus. ... Attendance of 19,250 was the Blues' 29th sellout.
