GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) -- B.J. Crombeen scored twice, Chris
Mason made 28 saves and the St. Louis Blues beat the Phoenix
Coyotes, 5-1, Tuesday to inch closer to the playoffs.
The Blues, who have not made the playoffs since 2004, won for
the seventh time in nine games to move two points ahead of
Nashville for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western
Conference. The Predators lost 4-2 in Chicago.
Keith Tkachuk had a goal and an assist and Brad Winchester also
scored for St. Louis, which completed its first-ever season
sweep against the Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets franchise.
St. Louis scored four straight goals after falling behind 1-0 on
Scottie Upshall's tally 6:14 into the game.
Crombeen tied the game 1-1 at 11:00 of the first period when his
wrist shot from the right circle slid between Ilya Bryzgalov's
pads and trickled across the goal line.
The goal was Crombeen's first since February 16, a span of 23
games.
Winchester made it 2-1 just 17 seconds into the second period
when he one-timed a pass from Tkachuk from in front of the net.
Tkachuk scored at 8:13 when he took control of a loose puck in
front of the Coyotes goal and beat Bryzgalov from the bottom of
the left faceoff circle.
Crombeen scored with 13.7 seconds left in the second and David
Perron stepped out of the penalty box and scored on a breakaway
off a long outlet from T.J. Oshie with 11:33 to play.
Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 21 shots before giving way to
rookie Al Montoya, who surrendered Perron's goal on the first
shot he faced.