MONTREAL _ Patrik Berglund's first career hat trick led the Blues to a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens Saturday.
The win allowed the Blues to match their winning streak at a season-high four games and they are now 5-1 under Mike Yeo. Their last four wins have all come on the road, where overall the team has won seven of its last nine.
The Blues have one more game left on their five-game road trip, but they'll return to St. Louis first before heading out to Detroit for Wednesday's finale.
Berglund remained on a torrid pace Saturday, adding three to his collection. After netting just one goal in his first 30 games, he now has 16 in his last 26 games, giving him 17 this season.
He was the beneficiary of a nice gesture from teammate David Perron on the empty-netter, as Perron tipped the puck in the crease to Berglund for the tap-in. He had scored two goals 12 times in his career, but never three.
Perron didn't go away empty-handed, though. He had the Blues' other goal, his 12th of the season, ending a 12-game drought. Alex Pietrangelo added two assists.
The Blues have totaled 19 goals in six games under Yeo, but perhaps more impressively they have allowed only eight.
Goalie Jake Allen surrendered goals to Montreal's Shea Weber but made 28 saves to improve to 4-1 in his last five appearances. He got some help from the Blues penalty kill, which erased a big one in the third period with the team clinging to its one-goal lead. Jori Lehtera had two key blocks on the kill, helping the unit improve to 16 for 16 under Yeo.
The Blues held a one-goal lead three times Saturday and Montreal caught them twice.
They struck for the first goal for the fourth straight game in Montreal, with Berglund notching the first of his two goals for a 1-0 lead just 3:49 into the game.
Jaden Schwartz had the puck behind the Montreal net and sent it in front to Pietrangelo. He had a wide-open look but passed it to the crease, where Berglund tapped it in for No. 15.
Berglund beat Canadiens backup Al Montoya, who was filling in for starter Carey Price, whom the Habs were saving for Sunday's start.
So the Blues didn't have to face Price, but they did have to go up against Weber, who is quite familiar to them from his days in Nashville.
It was one of those familiar Weber slap shots that pulled Montreal back from its first deficit. Allen had a clear look at his blast and a piece of his glove on it, but the blast was too hefty, tying the score 1-1 with 3:21 left in the first.
After a bout between the Blues' Joel Edmundson and Montreal's Michael McCarron in the second period, Perron handed the team its second lead of the game.
A nice behind-the-back dropback pass from Jori Lehtera set up a good look for Perron, who beat Montoya for a 2-1 advantage 6:20 into the period.
This lead, though, didn't last as long as the first.
The Blues got pinched in their zone, and despite chances by defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and Perron to clear, neither could and the Canadiens made them wish they did.
The Habs move the puck around the outside until Phillip Danault slipped it in front to Pacioretty, who outmuscled Bortuzzo in front for a tip that made it 2-2 with 7:05 left in the second period.
The Blues looked determined to get a goal before the intermission, particularly Perron, who was wreaking havoc in front of the Montreal net on a late shift.
With that going on, Jay Bouwmeester put a shot on net that Berglund tipped past Montoya for his second goal of the game and 16th of the season, giving the Blues the go-ahead goal with just 25 seconds left.
Berglund's offensive hot streak gave the Blues just enough cushion to pull out the win in the third period.
