Jaskin, Schwartz score as Blues stay alive, top Preds
Dmitrij Jaskin scored in his first playoff game this season, Jaden Schwartz got the gamewinner and the St. Louis Blues topped the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Friday night to stay alive in their secondround series.
Schwartz scored 25 seconds into the third on a rebound off a Colton Parayko shot, giving St. Louis a 2-1 lead. Schwartz has a team-high four postseason goals.
Jake Allen made 21 saves for the Blues, who had dropped two in a row and now trail the Predators 3-2 in the series.
James Neal scored for the Predators, and Pekka Rinne made 30 saves.
Game 6 is in Nashville on Sunday.
Jaskin put the Blues in front at 5:43 of the second period, banging home a rebound off an Alex Pietrangelo shot. It was Jaskin’s second career playoff goal.
Jaskin was inserted into the lineup in place of Alexander Steen, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury. He had just one goal in 51 games this season.
Neal tied it with Nashville enjoying a two-man advantage with 6:10 left in the second. The power play was set up when Pietrangelo and Patrik Berglund both took minors with 7:19 left.
The Blues managed just one shot on goal, a 45-footer by Pietrangelo, during more than four straight minutes of power-play time between the first and second periods, including 1:50 of a 5-on-3 opportunity.
Mike Fisher had three blocks for the Predators — all on Vladimir Tarasenko — during the Blues’ two-man advantage.
St. Louis is a leagueworse 2 for 28 on the power play in the postseason.
Sidney Crosby returned to work Friday, practicing with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates barely four days removed from a frightening hit that left the him with a concussion, and his status for the rest of the playoffs uncertain. While the two-time MVP declined to get into specifics whether he’ll be available for Game 5 tonight, he’s keeping his options open. “We’ll see,” Crosby said. “I don’t want to rule it out. It’s not really up to me. You relay how you feel and they kind of direct you from there.”
The Carolina Hurricanes and goaltender Scott Darling have agreed to a four-year contract worth $16.6 million. The deal was announced Friday night, one week after the Hurricanes acquired Darling in a trade with Chicago, and will pay him an average of $4.15 million per season.