ST. LOUIS _ Mike Yeo was aware going into his Blues' debut Wednesday against Toronto that a coaching change in the NHL typically gives the team a jolt.
But a day after taking over for Ken Hitchcock, Yeo wasn't taken for granted what the crowd of 19,258 at Scottrade Center was expecting.
"My point to the players is we just can't expect it to happen, we have to make it happen," Yeo said before the Blues took the ice against the Maple Leafs.
Who knows how long this surge will last, but on the night that Bobby Plager's No. 5 was retired to the rafters, the Blues fittingly finished with five goals in a 5-1 victory over Toronto.
The Blues, who won for just the second time in their last seven games, will wrap up their three-game homestand Saturday against Pittsburgh.
What a difference a day makes?
Just 24 hours earlier, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong accused the club of being made up of "independent contractors," in essence saying some were more interested in their individual success than team success.
Interesting, during Plager's rousing remarks during the pre-game ceremony, he mentioned that his career was shaped by playing for the Blue Note crest on the front of the sweater and not the name on the back.
The players were standing a mere 50 feet away and seemed to soak up the message, as they played a team game that has been seen only on rare occasions this season.
The Blues posted five goals on 31 shots, and they allowed just one goal, marking only the second time in their last six games that they've given up fewer than five.
Paul Stastny had two of the goals, while Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and Colton Parayko accounted for one each, and Jake Allen turned in 26 saves for the win, his first since the Winter Classic.
By virtue of the victory, the Blues grabbed back the wild-card spot they had relinquished Wednesday night when Calgary beat Minnesota. They are tied with Calgary with 55 points and have played two fewer games than the Flames.
As expected with Wednesday's coaching change, the Blues had some jump early Thursday.
Parayko took a puck coast to coast before being turned away at the crease by Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen. Later in the period, a heads-up pass from Steen sprung David Perron on a breakaway, but again Anderson came up with the save.
Allen was sharp, too, but couldn't close his legs on a shot by the Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner, whose 13th goal of the year gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with 5:36 remaining in the first period.
The Blues, though, bounced back with Steen's 10th goal of the season. His shot from the top of the circle went through the legs of not one, not two, but three Toronto players, including Andersen, on the way to the back of the net.
Steen's sixth goal in his last nine games tied the score at 1 with 2:02 left in the first period.
The Blues broke the game open with three goals in the second period, including a pair 35 seconds apart.
Stastny's 13th of the season gave the team a 2-1 lead just 6:27 into the period. A strong forecheck from Perron allowed Steen to pass a puck in front; that deflected off Toronto's Auston Matthews to Stastny for an uncontested look.
Tarasenko quickly followed with his 23rd of the season for a 3-1 lead just 7:02 into the period. He scored on his patented cut to center ice, where he stopped and sent a wrist shot flying by Andersen's glove.
The Blues had three goals on 15 shots at that point and added another on Paryako's fourth goal of the season, on the power play. It was a sizzler from 29 feet for a 4-1 lead with 8:58 left in the second period.
They carried that lead into the third period, a frame in which Stastny added his second goal of the game. Parayko let go of a slap shot from the point, and Stastny lunged to punch in the rebound for his 14th of the season.
It was the most offense from the Blues since a 6-3 win over Philadelphia on Dec. 28. Yeo became only the second Blues coach in the last seven to record a victory in their debut.
