LAS VEGAS — The Blues finished a long road trip on a down note, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 Friday in a shootout at T-Mobile Arena.
In the fourth round of the shootout, Mark Stone scored the game winner.
The Blues now scatter on a three-day Christmas break with a 16-16-2 record off of a five-game road trip that started with three victories but ended with two losses — one in regulation and one in overtime. They were attempting to become only the seventh team in franchise history to win at least four games on a five-game road swing.
They were without leading scorer Jordan Kyrou, who missed his second consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. But they caught the Golden Knights (24-11-1) without injured mainstays Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore.
The Blues return to action Tuesday, starting a three-game homestand against Toronto to close out the 2022 portion of the season.
Acciari gets dirty
One of the best things about Noel Acciari is he isn’t afraid to go net front and do the dirty work that positioning entails. So when Brandon Saad sent a shot to the net from left wing midway through the final period, there was Acciari to tip it in and break a 3-3 tie with 9:15 to play in the contest.
It was Acciari’s ninth goal of the season. Through his eight NHL seasons, he’s had more than nine only twice.
But with just 1:36 to go, Chandler Stephenson tied the game at 4-4 on a backdoor power play goal with Saad off for hooking.
Track meet
The game opened up in the second period, with five goals scored between the teams — three by the Blues.
Pavel Buchnevich scored for the sixth time in his last eight games; Vladimir Tarasenko scored on the power play on a feed from Buchnevich for his 10th goal of the season; and Justin Faulk scored his first goal since Nov. 21 on a shot that appeared to deflect in off the skate of Vegas defenseman Brayden Pachal.
But the Golden Knights countered with goals from Mark Stone early in the period and Michael Amadio from Stone late — so it was a 3-3 contest after two periods.
The Blues have scored at least one power play goal in four consecutive games, their second-longest streak of the season. Torey Krug had assists on two of the period’s three goals, giving him assists in four straight contests.
Strong in the first
Wary of Vegas’ goal-scoring prowess in the opening period, coach Craig Berube wanted a strong start for the Blues on Friday. He didn’t quite get it.
Vegas entered the night second in the league in first-period goals, and added another one to that tally Friday. And it was a former Blues captain who did it.
Alex Pietrangelo charged down the middle of the ice, took a pass from Chandler Stephenson, blew past former teammate Robert Bortuzzo and lifted a high backhander past Jordan Binnington. So Vegas had a 1-0 lead 5:22 into the contest on Pietrangelo’s first goal against the Blues in 10 games since signing as a free agent here.
Until a power play opportunity near the end of the first period, the Blues didn’t get much going offensively. They went 8 ½ minutes without a shot on goal during one stretch, stuck on three shots until Josh Leivo’s wrist shot was stopped by Vegas goalie Logan Thompson with 3:23 left in the period.
After Jake Leschyshyn went off for holding Brayden Schenn with 2:15 left, the Blues had some good pressure on the power play, but couldn’t get one past Thompson, just his second career game against St. Louis.
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