Kevin Hayes scored twice and added an assist, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
Blues’ Key Players and Performance
Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas also scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington made 33 saves, including several close-range stops, helping St. Louis end a two-game losing streak.
“Big game at home, back to back, a chance to get us moving in the right direction,” Binnington said. “That’s a good team over there. I think we made a lot of big plays. Guys stepped up and trusted each other, trusted the system. All around, it’s a good victory.”
Devils’ Struggles and Injuries
Curtis Lazar scored the only goal for the Devils, who lost center Jack Hughes to an upper-body injury early in the first period. Hughes, leading the NHL with 15 assists and 20 points, left the game after crashing into the boards following a slight hook by Blues defenseman Torey Krug. No penalty was called.
“It’s tough,” Lazar said. “I mean, you look at the start he’s had. I won’t lie; we were a little dejected when it happened. But, again, you’ve got to turn the page when you realize he’s not coming back and say, ‘All right, next man up.’”
New Jersey was already missing center Nico Hischier, who sat out his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Akira Schmid made 31 saves for the Devils, who had won three straight games.
“I thought Akira made some key saves to allow us to get back in the hockey game,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said.
Game Highlights
Lazar scored his first goal of the season with 3:21 left in the second period, cutting the Blues’ lead to 2-1.
“Great second-effort goal around the front of the net,” Ruff said. “I thought that goal got us going, and we had a lot of good zone time after that.”
Hayes extended the Blues’ lead to 2-0 by pushing a rebound past Schmid for his first goal since joining St. Louis this offseason.
“Definitely relieved,” Hayes said. “I feel like I haven’t really got too many looks this season. I’ve been working on it, but it’s nice actually to see one go in. It felt good.”
Neighbors opened the scoring for the Blues 7:12 into the second period, beating Schmid from the slot on a pass from Sammy Blais.
“I thought we had a good night,” Neighbours said about himself and linemates Blais and Oskar Sundqvist. “We’re, you know, physical, on top of guys, played a lot in the offensive zone, and we’re skating pretty well and had some good chemistry. Obviously, if we can contribute offensively, that’s just a bonus.”
Upcoming Games
- Devils: At Chicago Sunday night.
- Blues: Host Montreal Saturday night.
