JORDAN BINNINGTON

Ryan O’Reilly had a goal and an assist, and the St. Louis Blues rallied to beat Vegas 3-2, snapping the Golden Knights’ nine-game winning streak.

Albert Pujols hit his 698th home run, a tying two-run drive in the sixth inning that sparked the St. Louis Cardinals over the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

The St. Louis Blues have taken another step in keeping their top young players in the fold long term.

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said there are more teams that need a goaltender than there are goalies to be had, so it was important to secure one before free agency starts on Wednesday. The Red Wings addressed that need Friday by acquiring Ville Husso from the St. Louis Blues for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (No. Yzerman then signed Husso to a three-year extension worth $4.75 million a season. He expects Husso, 27, and Alex Nedeljkovic, 26, to form a strong tandem. “We certainly like the season that Ville had,” Yzerman told media at the draft.

Darren Helm scored with 5.6 seconds left and Darcy Kuemper stopped 17 shots as the Colorado Avalanche finished off their second-round series with a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues in Game 6.

Tyler Bozak scored 3:38 into overtime and the St. Louis Blues fended off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Nazem Kadri scored three goals, including two during a four-goal second period barrage, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference series.

Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri refused to buckle in the face of death threats, racial slurs, a booing St. Louis crowd and a few post-whistle hits.

The Florida Panthers are on the brink of getting swept out of the second round of the playoffs by the back-to-back defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Artturi Lehkonen scored twice, Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 3 of their second-round series.

David Perron scored twice, Jordan Binnington made 30 saves and the St. Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 to tie their second-round series at a game apiece.

EASTERN CONFERENCEAtlantic Division(3) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (1) Florida Panthers (Lightning lead 1-0)Time: 7 p.m. Despite Anthony Duclair scoring first for the Panthers, that is all Florida would get in game one. Watch the NHL Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)WESTERN CONFERENCECentral Division(3) St. Louis Blues vs. (1) Colorado Avalanche (Avalanche lead 1-0)Time: 9:30 p.m. ETWhere: Ball Arena (Denver, Colo.)Channel: TNTStream: Sling, DirecTV StreamThe Avs and Blues went at it in game one, well maybe the Avs went more at the Blues. The Blues showed that they can stay in games with the overpowering Avs, albeit if their goaltender plays out his mind.

Josh Manson scored 8:02 into overtime, Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves in his return to the net from an eye injury, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Jordan Binnington made 25 saves and the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 in Game 6 to advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

In a set of back-and-forth series, four games on Thursday night can determine who heads to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Carolina is looking to advance to the second round for the third time in four years, hoping to eliminate the Bruins for the first time since 2009. Atlantic Division(2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (3) Tampa Bay Lightning (Leafs lead 3-2)Time: 7:30 p.m. Watch the NHL Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)WESTERN CONFERENCECentral Division(2) Minnesota Wild vs. (3) St. Louis Blues (Blues lead 3-2)Time: 9:30 p.m. Pacific Division(2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (3) Los Angeles Kings (Kings lead 3-2)Time: 10 p.m.

Vladimir Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to break open a tied game and series, and the St. Louis Blues pushed the Minnesota Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5.

Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice, Jordan Binnington made 28 saves in his first start this postseason and the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 to even the best-of-seven Western Conference series at 2-2.

David Perron had a hat trick and an assist to lead the St. Louis Blues past the Minnesota Wild 4-0 in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Sidney Crosby and Evan Rodrigues scored 12 seconds apart in the third period, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied past the St. Louis Blues 5-3.

The St. Louis Blues cruised through the coldest outdoor game in NHL history to beat the host Minnesota Wild 6-4.

The Minnesota Wild are preparing to play in the NHL's Winter Classic for the first time.

Nathan Walker scored his first career hat trick and fourth-string goaltender Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 6-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell scored in a shootout, and the Florida Panthers continued their string of comebacks by rallying from three one-goal deficits to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3.

The NHL's rebuilding teams are at very different stages early this season.

Last week, Jeff Blashill tried to go to the same restaurant where he had dinner in March 2020, before the NHL season shut down. He found the windows to be boarded up.

Several Canadian goalies reportedly are on Team Canada's long list for the Beijing Olympics.

Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves and Gabriel Landeskog scored the go-ahead goal in the second period to lift Colorado to a series sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 5-2 win in Game 4 of the West Division series.

Ryan Graves had a goal and two assists, Philipp Grubauer made 31 saves, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 to take a 3-0 series lead in their first-round West Division matchup.

Nathan MacKinnon finished his first career playoff hat trick with an empty-net goal to help the Colorado Avalanche pull away late for a 6-3 win over St. Louis in Game 2 after the Blues avoided a pregame virus scare that nearly sidelined several players.

The NHL has cleared the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights after virus testing errors.

There is already so much great action going on in the first couple of days of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and not every team has even had a chance to play yet. The Avs captured their third President’s Trophy, their first since 2001, the last time Colorado lifted Lord Stanley. Watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on FuboTV (7-day free trial)The St. Louis Blues are far from their 2019 championship, as they are a team that many wondered if they even deserve to be in the playoffs. St. Louis will need goaltender Jordan Binnington to turn his game around, as his stats are well below the league average this season. What: NHL PlayoffsWho: (4) St. Louis Blues vs. (1) Colorado AvalancheWhen: Monday, May 17Time: 10:00 PM ETWhere: Ball Arena (Denver, Colo.)Channel: NBC Sports NetworkStream: FuboTV (7-day free trial)

CORRECTS TO SHOOTOUT, INSTEAD OF OVERTIME - St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (10) scores on Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) in the shootout of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)LAS VEGAS – Missing all their coaches, Max Pacioretty and the Vegas Golden Knights still managed to earn a point. David Perron and Brayden Schenn scored in a shootout Tuesday to give the St. Louis Blues a 5-4 victory over Vegas. Pacioretty got his seventh career hat trick for the Golden Knights, who were without their entire coaching staff because of COVID-19 concerns. The Golden Knights were 1 for 6 with a man advantage and are 3 of 26 (11.5%) this season.

KALAMAZOO, MI - For the second consecutive year, a former Kalamazoo Wings hockey player hoisted the Stanley Cup, as forward Yanni Gourde capped his fifth NHL season as a champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars, 2-0, on Monday to take the series in six games and capture their second Stanley Cup in franchise history, with Gourde playing a big part in the title run. Two of Gourde’s playoff goals came in the Stanley Cup Finals, including a power-play tally late in the second period of Game 4 that tied the contest at 3 and helped the Lightning pull out a 5-4 overtime win. The 28-year-old Gourde played one season with the Kalamazoo Wings in 2013-14, tallying 15 goals and 19 assists for the ECHL club, before getting called up to the American Hockey League’s Worcester Sharks. RELATED:Former Grand Rapids Griffins center now a Stanley Cup championMichigan hockey team officially sets world record for largest lightsaber battleECHL, Kalamazoo Wings cancel rest of 2019-20 season amid coronavirus pandemicKalamazoo Wings hockey season on hold as ECHL halts play amid coronavirus pandemic

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2019, file photo, St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, right, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Denver. Tarasenko makes his return after early season shoulder surgery that limited him to three goals in 10 games. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

Ditto for St. Louis, the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues and Avalanche were navigating through some key injuries before the season was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hiatus allowed time to heal and now the top two teams in the Western Conference return as Cup favorites. The two teams get things rolling Sunday in Edmonton by facing each other to kick off a round-robin tournament to determine seeding in the West. It should be a fun ride.Back on the ice for the Blues is forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who underwent shoulder surgery in late October.

BOSTON (AP) St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 for their first Stanley Cup title. Ryan O'Reilly scored for the fourth straight game and rookie Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and their first NHL championship. Alex Pietrangelo added a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis. The Blues woke up on New Year's morning with the worst record in the league but won 30 of their final 49 regular-season games and soared through the playoffs to reach the final for the first time since 1970. Coach Craig Berube, who took over when Mike Yeo was fired in November, is the fourth coach in the past 11 years hired in midseason to lead his team to the NHL title.