Late-period goals were big boosts; 5-on-5 game was strong despite blown lead in third at 5-on-6; Blues played with a purpose in the first period, unlike Saturday at Ut

The St. Louis Blues secured a hard-fought 5-4 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights Monday. With this win, the Blues improved to a 23-21-4 record and are one point behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card in the Western Conference.

Blues defenseman Cam Fowler made an impact in the matchup, scoring in the second period to give St. Louis a 4-2 lead. With this, the 33-year-old is continuing to show that the Blues made the right call acquiring him from the Anaheim Ducks back in December.

Fowler has fit in beautifully on the Blues' blueline since being acquired. He has five goals, 13 points, and a plus-6 rating in 18 games since the move. This is after he had four assists and a minus-7 rating in 17 games with Anaheim this campaign.

What's more encouraging about Fowler is that he shows no signs of slowing down. The 6-foot-2 defenseman has three points and a plus-2 rating over his last four games.

Due to Fowler's strong all-around play, he has found a home on the top pairing and gets time on both special-team units. Overall, he is proving to be an excellent addition to the Blues' defensive group, and it will be intriguing to see how he builds on his strong play from here.

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