GLENDALE, Ariz. _ After escaping the most treacherous part of their road trip, the St. Louis Blues were warned by Mike Yeo of what awaited them Saturday night.
They traveled to Arizona to play their sixth game in nine days against a Coyotes team that is second-to-last in the NHL standings, but had a point in five straight games.
"I've been looking at the way they've been playing lately and it looks like these young kids, it takes awhile but they're comfortable and they're learning their way," Yeo said. "A team like this, they're playing loose, they're playing without fear. Part of the message to our group is, they don't care who they're playing tonight."
The Blues got the message, treating Arizona like they were any of the three California teams, against whom the club went 2-1 against to open the trip. They won 3-0 over the Coyotes in a game that could have been more heavily lopsided if not for Yotes goalie Mike Smith.
The Blues had 16 first-period shots on their way to 40 in the game, picking up goals from Alex Pietrangelo, Scottie Upshall and an empty-netter by David Perron.
Jake Allen made 31 saves for his fourth shout of the season and it was also his 27th victory of the year, a career-high topping last year's total.
The combination of offense and Allen lifted the Blues to their seventh win in their last eight games and, with a loss by Nashville Saturday, pulled them into third place in the Central Division. The Blues and Predators both have 81 points, but the Blues hold the first-tiebreaker with more regulation/overtime wins, or "rows," than the Preds (37-33).
The ascension into third place in the division marks the first time the Blues have been in this position since Feb. 25 when in the midst of a six-game winning streak they fell behind Nashville into a wildcard spot.
The Blues will have a chance to strengthen their hold Tuesday when a five-game road trip wraps up in Colorado. The Avalanche remain last in the league standings, but as Yeo's team demonstrated Saturday, they're not taking anyone lightly.
The Blues had an eight-game winning streak against Arizona going into the game, but the Coyotes were 4-0-2 in their last six games, including a 3-2 shootout win over Los Angeles last week.
The Blues benefited from an early boarding penalty against Arizona's Anthony DeAngelo, whose hit on Zach Sanford was deemed worthy of a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
While Sanford left for the lockerroom for observation, though later returning, the Blues' power-play went to work.
The unit scored on his fifth shot of the man-advantage with just three seconds remaining in DeAngelo's penalty. It was a point shot from Pietrangelo that beat Smith for his 10th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead with 13:07 left in the first period.
The Blues continued to pour on the pressure, with Peter Berglund accounting for four of the 16 shots in the first period. But Smith kept Berglund out of the net, along with Ivan Barbashev on a clear breakaway, and somehow lead was stuck on one goal at the first intermission.
Early in the second period, however, the Blues built a 2-0 lead on a goal by Upshall, his ninth of the season. The team's fourth line was once again working hard on the forecheck and it led to a scoring chance from the high slot that the veteran put past Smith just 2:52 into the period.
Allen had to be strong in the second period, making 16 saves, including on Arizona's Max Domi that he made after giving away the puck to Domi. He made another dandy on the Coyotes' Teemu Pulkkinen, who had split the Blues' defense for a clean look.
Allen and Smith were keeping it a game, even against the game's best.
Vladimir Tarasenko had a breakway with under a minute to play in the second period and was yanked by Arizona's Luke Schenn. He was awarded a penalty shot, but in not-so-typical Tarasenko, he failed to score. He held onto the puck and tried to wait Smith out, but it didn't work.
Allen took a game into third period with a shutout for the fourth time in his last six outings, and closed this one out.
The Blues were shorthanded after a late penalty to Alexander Steen, and with the Arizona net empty and an extra attacker on the ice for a 6-on-4 advantage, Perron added an empty-netter for his 15th goal of the season.
The shutout was the team's seventh in its last 19 road games.
