The Blues took a 3-0 lead into the third period and collapsed, falling to a devastating 4-3 overtime loss to the Predators at Nashville on Tuesday night.
Filip Forsberg scored on a penalty shot in overtime to cap off the game, as the Blues squandered a chance to gain ground on the Central Division leading Predators. He had blown past Jaden Schwartz and got pulled down 1:19 into overtime. He skated in and beat Hutton on his glove side. The Blues are 26-0-2 when leading after two periods.
The Predators scored three goals, including a short-handed goal, in the final 11 minutes of the third period to tie the game. Nashville was on the attack the whole period and got the first goal with 10:54 to go, when Calle Jarnkrok put in a rebound of a shot by Mattias Ekholm.
Then came the goal that spelled serious trouble. The Blues had a power play with 6:23 to go on a high stick by Craig Smith, but they couldn't control the puck in the neutral zone and Nashville put together a 3-on-2 that finished with Austin Watson scoring on a rebound of a backhand shot by Ryan Ellis.
The Blues got a temporary reprieve with 4:12 to go in the third when it looked as if Nashville had scored, but the refs waved it off. But a quick review showed that Watson's shot had gone in off Colton Parayko's stick and was clearly over the line. The game was tied and the Blues had to hold on for dear life just to get one point.
A win would have pulled the Blues within two points of Nashville, though the Predators have played four fewer games. But that made it even more important for the Blues to get a win to keep close to the Predators.
The Blues got a first-period goal from Jay Bouwmeester and second-period goals from Alexander Steen and Schwartz.
