ST. LOUIS_Apparently covering Patrik Laine wasn't part of the St. Louis Blues' game plan Saturday night. The 20-year-old forward from Tampere, Finland, torched the Blues with five goals at Enterprise Center, leading the Winnipeg Jets to an 8-4 victory over St. Louis.
Laine, who has 19 goals for the season, scored one goal in the first period, three in the second and one in the third against the Blues, who fell to 8-11-3 for the season. The five goal matches an opponent record against St. Louis, done previously be Wayne Gretzky (twice), Grant Mulvey and Mario Lemieux.
Winnipeg, which has now defeated the Blues three times this season, improved to 13-7-2.
David Perron, Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly and Pat Maroon scored for the Blues, who don't play again until Wednesday in Detroit.
With his first goal in 14 games, Perron gave the Blues a 1-0 lead with a breakaway score during 4-on-4 play. But the quick-strike Winnipeg Jets hit the Blues with two goals in 41 seconds to take a 2-1 lead in the first period Saturday at Enterprise Center.
With 4 minutes 15 seconds to play in the period, Blake Wheeler capped off a 2-on-1 break with a goal that deflected in past Blues goalie Chad Johnson off the leg of Jay Bouwmeester. It was the third time this season an opposing goal has been scored off Bouwmeester's leg or skate.
Next came Laine's 15th goal of the season on a quick-shot from the slot that was on goalie Chard Johnson in a blink.
Although outplayed for much of the period _ they were outshot 14-7 _ the Blues tied the game 2-2 on Tarasenko's seventh goal of the season. Tarasenko, who hadn't scored in his previous 10 games, circled behind the net and went high left to beat Jets goalie Laurent Brossoit with 2:10 left in the period.
The Blues did all kinds of hitting, got in another fight, and hit the post/crossbar twice in the second period. Meanwhile, Laine kept raining goals on the Blues and beleaguered goalie Johnson. Laine scored a hat trick _ in the second period _ giving him at that point four for the game as the Jets took control with a 6-2 lead after two periods Saturday at Enterprise Center.
After Laine's third goal of the period, with 3:58 left in the second, interim head coach Craig Berube pulled Johnson in favor of Jake Allen.
At least defenseman Joel Edmundson gave Blues fans something to cheer about, going at it with Winnipeg defenseman Tyler Myers. Edmundson landed several blows early in the fight. Just as Myers was rallying, Edmundson took him down to the ice. Edmundson got up clapping, much to the delight of the fans. But the Jets kept winning where it matters, on the scoreboard.
