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

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 on 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, won for the fourth time in five starts and improved to 4-4-0 this season.

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

With a 1-1 draw after 20 minutes, St. Louis took the lead early in the second period. Just seconds after Dube and Andrew Mangiapane failed to score in a dangerous 2-on-1 onslaught for the Flames, the Blues got back on the ice with a three-point passing sequence topped by Kyrou who fired a shot over Markstrom’s shoulder for his 12th at 3:08.

A pivotal moment came when three straight St. Louis penalties put the Flames on the power play for nearly six minutes — including a 22-second two-man lead — against the league’s worst penalty (67.1%). However, Calgary could not generate any dangerous chances.

The Blues made it 3-1 at 3:46 of the third when a mistake in defensive cover gave Buchnevich an unimpeded path to the net and he fired a shot into the goal post for his 10th.

The Flames returned briefly to the game when Mackey scored his second goal of the night – and second of the season – at 7:40 a.m., punching Greiss over his glove after being set up by Dube.

St. Louis restored their two-goal lead just 1:18 later thanks to a poor rally from Mackey, who threw the puck midway behind his net, where it was intercepted by Saad, who took the advantage and his seventh goal scored in the season .

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

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

St. Louis opened the scoring at 4:07 in the game and capitalized on a offensive-zone rally from Elias Lindholm that led to a 2-on-1 with Thomas and Barbashev burying the back pass for just his second goal in his last 16 games .

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

LINEUP CHANGES

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

sing the blues

The Flames continue to go head-to-head with St. Louis, losing seven of their last eight encounters.

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 came in an empty Saddledome in the final game of the 2020-21 season due to COVID restrictions. Connor’s father Dave spent his last three NHL seasons from 1991-1994 with the Blues.

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

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

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The Associated Press