ST. LOUIS _ The Blues looked the part Saturday against the Dallas Stars, wearing the Winter Classic uniforms that caught everyone's eye at last week's outdoor game.
And once again, they played the part.
The Blues edged Dallasm 4-3, with Patrik Berglund netting the game-winner with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining in regulation. His seventh goal of the season was a 20-foot redirection on a give from Kevin Shattenkirk.
Like the fans, Berglund must like the power-blue uniforms, too, as he scored in the Winter Classic as well.
It helped the Blues bounce back from their 4-2 letdown loss to Carolina on Thursday, continuing another season-long trend.
The Blues had lost 19 games this season before Saturday and had responded 11 times with a victory and did it again in front of a crowd of 19,503 at Scottrade Center.
Paul Stastny had a three-point night with two goals and an assist, Vladimir Tarasenko recorded his 20th goal of the season and Carter Hutton made 25 saves to record his fourth win of the season.
The Blues, who are third in the Central Division, created a little more separation between them and fourth-place Nashville, moving six points ahead. The club will wrap up its season-long, six-game homestand Tuesday against Boston.
The Blues' power play was two for three Saturday, and though the penalty-kill unit gave up a goal for the sixth time in the last seven games, the club got an even-strength goal from Berglund that made the difference.
Berglund now has six goals in his last nine games after scoring just one in his first 30 games. It helped the Blues win on a night when they fell behind 1-0 and led 2-1 and 3-2.
Once again, the Blues let themselves fall behind early _ way early.
Dallas opened a 1-0 lead just 2:20 into the game, and if the Blues' last two opponents were watching, they might have asked the Stars what took so long.
In the Winter Classic last Monday, Chicago needed only 1:02 to score against the Blues, and on Thursday Carolina took just 1:09 to go ahead.
Lauri Korpikoski converted a breakaway for Dallas' 1-0 advantage. The Stars were playing without captain Jamie Benn Saturday, but brother Jordie Benn put a pass off the boards in the defensive zone that sprung Korpikoski on a path all alone to the net. He beat Hutton with a backhand through the legs.
Giving up a goal in the opening minutes of those other games seemed to wake up the Blues, and it did again Saturday.
Stastny netted the first of his two goals midway through the first period, catching Dallas napping. Teammate Brad Hunt fired a puck from the defensive zone and Stastny got a piece of it, deflecting it into the corner. The puck popped out in front and Stastny outhustled the Stars' Esa Lindell to it for layup goal and a 1-1 game.
In addition to Hunt, Hutton was also credited with an assist, the third of his NHL career.
That is sometimes a night's work for Tarasenko. He had just one point Saturday, but it was milestone marker No. 20th, his fourth goal in his last three games, and gave the Blues their first lead of the game, 2-1, with 3:17 left in the first period.
Steen came up with a turnover in the neutral zone, fed the puck to Stastny, who dropped it for Tarasenko for one of his patented wrist shots that left Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen shaking his head.
The Blues led 2-1 at the break, but questionable cross-checking penalty against Kevin Shattenkirk just 17 seconds into the second period put the Stars and the power play and Patrik Eaves converted for a 2-2 score.
The second period was riddle with penalties. There were a combined seven minors between the teams, four against the Blues. But the goals would even out, as Stastny followed up Eaves' power-play with one of his own.
Stastny's second goal of the game came on a deflection. Steen released a shot from the point and Stastny got a piece of it for his ninth goal of the season and a 3-2 lead with 12:09 left in the second period.
Though it was only a one-goal game, the Stars pulled Lehtonen, who had given up three goals on 14 shots, and replaced him with Antti Niemi.
Dallas took Lehtonen off the hook, tying the score 3-3 with 1:25 to play in the second period. Defenseman John Klingberg had possession at the point and was allowed to waltz past Stastny and between Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo before putting a shot through Hutton's arm.
