Three Blues made their trip to Pittsburgh an especially rewarding reunion by contributing to a 3-2 overtime win Tuesday night.
General manager Dave Armstrong must have been smiling when second-period goals by former Penguins Robert Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc tied the game and revived an offense that had scored just two even-strength goals in the previous 10 periods. Both players were acquired in trades earlier this season, and even before Tuesday they already looked like smart moves.
Alexander Steen did most of the work on the game-winner, including hard work to get possession along the boards and then the deflection into the net. But the original shot came off the stick of defenseman Zbynek Michalek, another skater who spent significant time in Pittsburgh before moving to Arizona and eventually St. Louis at the trade deadline this season.
The Blues needed reliable depth at the blue line, and Michalek has provided it since coming back from a concussion March 14 against Minnesota. He's not on the roster for his offense, but his first point in a St. Louis uniform couldn't have come at a better time.
Bortuzzo also joined the team at the trade deadline in exchange for Ian Cole, who played more than 16 minutes for Pittsburgh and finished with a +1 rating Tuesday night. But in St. Louis he never found consistency or provided the much-needed physicality Bortuzzo offers when he's on the ice, and the team has quickly taken to the young bruiser.
Several Blues have praised his strong shot, something he hadn't gotten much of a chance to show off in his first eight games. But when a scrum in front of the net led to the puck coming loose in the right slot, he put a vicious slap shot off the far post and in for his career-high third goal of the season and first with St. Louis.
"It felt good, obviously, to contribute," Bortuzzo told FOX Sports Midwest analyst Darren Pang on the Blues Live postgame show. "I knew a guy was in front. I was just trying to put it past his body."
Less than three minutes later, Goc scored his first goal as a Blue off a rebound following a nice effort by Ryan Reaves in front of the net. St. Louis sent Maxim Lapierre to Pittsburgh during the All-Star break to acquire Goc, who has been a reliable, disciplined center for the otherwise aggressive fourth line.
Watch the Blues Live pregame and postgame shows before and after every St. Louis Blues game on FOX Sports Midwest.
The Penguins beat the Blues in February at Scottrade Center after the Goc trade, but before Bortuzzo joined the team. It seems St. Louis got the last laugh.
HAT TRICK
• Allen earning more time. The Blues' goaltending situation may not be settled just yet.
Coach Ken Hitchcock has always rightfully considered Jake Allen 1B rather than backup to starter Brian Elliott, who hadn't started five consecutive games until earlier this month. Elliott looked to be ready and willing to step into a bigger role, putting Allen in the unfamiliar position of watching from the bench for 10 of 11 games.
But the rookie, who won the Bastien Award last season as the American Hockey League's top goaltender with a 33-16-3 record, continued to make his case for more playing time with the best of three solid performances in the past four days. Allen earned his 19th win of the season by saving 24 of 26 shots, including a clutch stop on David Perron's dangerous shot between the Blues' first two goals and several more tough plays to keep the game tied at two.
After relieving Elliott early in the second period of a 6-3 loss at Minnesota, Allen stopped 23 of 25 shots in a 2-1 overtime loss at Detroit. He shouldn't become the primary starter anytime soon, considering Elliott still ranks fifth in the NHL with a 2.16 goals-against average, but Allen may get some more chances to make his case for playoff starts down the stretch.
• Jaskin sits out. The Blues are hoping their dynamic rookie forward just needed a night off to get back on track.
Dmitrij Jaskin's February breakthrough turned into a March slump after 10 games without a single point for the 22-year-old. Even when he matched his career high by firing seven shots against Minnesota, he still couldn't find the net.
St. Louis called Jaskin up for the second time this season in December, and he quickly solidified his roster spot with a goal in his first game. His play picked up again after the All-Star break when he scored seven goals in 15 games, and he had been in the lineup for 28 straight games prior to Tuesday night.
Chris Porter stepped in on the third line and provided some good energy, but the veteran has only 11 goals in six NHL seasons, compared with 12 in 66 career games for Jaskin.
• Stopping Sid. The NHL's points leader couldn't end his career-long drought against St. Louis.
Sidney Crosby might have gotten his best chance in 10 games against the Blues, but he still failed to add to his league-best total of 74 points. The two-time Hart Trophy winner got only two shots on goal, though he could have recorded his first point against St. Louis had he only lifted the puck up over a sprawling Allen off a rebound in the second period.
David Backes deserves a large portion of the credit for keeping Crosby silent; the Blues' captain spent much of the night matched up against the dynamic forward. Crosby also had to play without Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins' top goal scorer, who missed his fifth straight game due to a lower-body injury.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
