CALGARY, Alberta _ David Perron entered the Blues' sixth game of the year Saturday in Calgary still looking for his first point. One day earlier, he pointed out that he has had seasons previously where the points came easy, but he wasn't playing particularly well. This year, he felt good, despite the goose egg.
The production finally caught up to Perron's personal feelings, as he goosed the Flames for three goals in a 6-4 win at the Saddledome, giving the Blues their only win on their three-game road trip.
The Blues trailed 2-1 at one point, but responded with four unanswered goals, including two more from Perron, capping his second hat trick with the club and third overall of his career.
But the 5-2 lead was barely enough, as the Flames on a shaky night for Blues goalie Jake Allen answered with two of their own to pull within one. They also had a late power play, but the Blues erased that and Alexander Steen added an empty-netter for the Blues' sixth goal.
With their highest-scoring output of the season, the Blues eked out a win on Perron's hat trick and two others from Paul Stastny and Patrik Berglund. They came against Calgary backup goalie Chad Johnson, who got the call Saturday in place of former Blue Brian Elliott, who has struggled out of the gate.
The Blues could see Elliott as soon as Tuesday, though, when they host the Flames at Scottrade Center.
After netting a combined two goals in Vancouver and Edmonton, the Blues wanted to make a concerted effort to go to the net in Calgary. There were early signs of that, but more importantly, there were signs of togetherness across the ice. Smooth passes, finding each other in stride, moving the puck and a measurable amount of time in the offensive zone.
It looked like it was going to be a test for Johnson, but he got his night started by snuffing out a scoring chance by Blues fourth-line forward Kyle Brodziak. But 1{ minutes later, the Blues went on the power play when Flames center Sam Bennett was whistled for holding Perron.
Perron made Bennett pay at the other end, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal just 6:04 into the game. For Perron, it was his first point of the season, and it ended a stretch in which the power-play unit had converted just one of its last 15 opportunities.
The Blues held their 1-0 lead in the second period, but lost it quickly.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester lost a battle along the boards with Bennett, who triggered a two-on-one for teammates Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg. Brouwer, the ex-Blue who has three goals on the season, deferred to Versteeg, who beat Allen to the other side for a 1-1 score just 2:21 into the period.
A Blues lead turned into a tie game, and then things turned sour.
Thirty-five seconds later, an innocent backhander from Calgary's Micheal Ferlund snuck between the legs of Allen.
Allen's miscue gave the Flames a 2-1 lead just 2:56 into the period, erasing what had been a good night's work to that point for the Blues.
But Perron jump-started the Blues again, picking up No. 2.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo put a point shot on net, and the puck got knocked down in front of Johnson. Perron put a shot on net, which Johnson somehow stopped with his left leg. But Perron dug the rebound out of the netminder's pads and put it in the back of the net for a 2-2 score 6:22 into the second period.
Then the Blues' power play went back to work.
Calgary captain Mark Giordano was whistled for holding, sending him to the penalty box. And he was not happy, picking up an unsportsmanlike conduct call on the way for an extra two minutes.
That's when Stastny appeared to give the Blues a 3-2 lead with his third goal of the season. He redirected a slap shot from Steen and raised his arms in celebration. But play continued for another 14 seconds before a horn stopped play.
A replay showed that Stastny did indeed put the puck in the back of the net _ off the in-goal camera in fact _ and the Blues regained the lead.
The 14 seconds that were added to the clock also meant that the goal was scored with one second left in the first power play, giving the Blues two more minutes of their man advantage.
The Blues couldn't add to their lead then, but late in the second period, Berglund made it 4-2 after a terrific feed from newcomer Nail Yakupov. It was Berglund's first goal of the season and Yakupov's third point.
Perron stretched the lead to 5-2 with his third goal of the night, artistically his best. He took a pass from Vladimir Tarasenko and stick-handled his way through the Flames before beating Johnson.
The Blues had breathing room, but Calgary sucked it out of them.
Giordano cut the Flames' deficit to 5-3 with 10:29 to play and Versteeg added his second of the game for a 5-4 score with 4:54 to play. They got a power play just 24 seconds later, but the Blues' PK erased the third try of the night.
Steen then soothed the nerves of Blues fans, ripping a slap shot into an empty-net goal for the exclamation point. Perron assisted on the goal for his fourth point of the night.
