Short-handed Blues beat the Sabres

Mired in a scoring slump, St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko was looking for that lucky bounce.

He found it when the Blues needed it most.

Tarasenko scored with 36 seconds left in overtime, and the shorthanded St. Louis Blues beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Sunday night.

“I think when so many chances and the puck doesn’t go in, you just have to play simple and get that lucky bounce,” Tarasenko said. “But I think overall our line is playing better every game. We’re getting more chances all the time.”

Brayden Schenn and Paul Stastny also scored, and Joel Edmundson recorded two assists as the Blues topped the Sabres for the 10th time in their last 11 meetings. Jake Allen made 22 saves, improving to 5-1 in six career starts against Buffalo.

Evan Rodrigues, in just his third game this season after coming back from a hand injury, scored both goals for the Sabres, who have lost six of seven. Robin Lehner made 42 saves.

Tarasenko used his speed to get around the Sabres defence and notch his 14th goal of the season. Tarasenko tried to go backhandforehand, but the puck deflected off Lehner’s outstretched stick and into the net before he could finish the move.

It was Tarasenko’s second goal in his last nine games.

“He will be the first to admit he’s missed more nets and hit more posts, but for me the mindset of him taking the puck to the net and scoring in tight, that’s big,” Blues coach Mike Yeo said. “If he continues to do that, he won’t be stopped.”

The Blues won their fourth straight despite being without secondleading scorer Jaden Schwartz and top defenceman Alex Pietrangelo, taking 58 combined points out of the St. Louis lineup.

Both suffered lowerbody injuries in the Blues’ 6-1 win at Detroit on Saturday afternoon.