The St. Louis Blues have recently developed a successful strategy for winning hockey games: they no longer allow other teams to score any goals against them.
NHL Scores: Blues post third straight shutout
The Blues are winning while barely scoring.
Hannah Foslien
It has been working out really well.
The Blues have only scored four goals in their past three games, but they've won them all in regulation thanks to a resurgent Brian Elliott in goal. Elliott posted his third-straight shutout Thursday night, as the Blues continue to round into form as the supreme defensive team that many expected them to be all season long.
Elsewhere around the NHL on a busy Thursday night, the Canadiens clinched a playoff berth, the Sharks edged the Red Wings in a shootout, and the Jets trounced the lifeless Panthers. Read on for all the details of the night’s action.
All The NHL Scores
Get caught up on Thursday's NHL scores with recaps from our network of SB Nation team blogs. Here's a quick glance at the full night of action:
Hurricanes 1, Capitals 3
Five Answers
Prior to last night's games, we presented five burning questions regarding the night's action. Here are your cool, soothing answers.
1. Will the Boston Bruins and/or Montreal Canadiens clinch a playoff spot on Thursday?
The Canadiens did it with their 5-1 rout of the Sabres, but the banged-up Bruins couldn't get past the Islanders so they'll have to wait for another day to clinch their spot.
2. Will the Ottawa Senators end their five-game losing streak?
The Senators reversed their skid and earned a victory over a Flyers, helped by the fact that no Philadelphia player aside from Ilya Bryzgalov seemed to care very much about winning.
3. How will Kris Letang perform in his return to the Pittsburgh Penguins' lineup?
Letang played more than 23 minutes in his return from injury, and had three shots on goal and an assist. Even with Crosby still on the shelf, the Penguins were able to score six goals against the overmatched Lightning.
4. Can the Los Angeles Kings hold onto the fourth seed in the Western Conference?
The Kings won in a shootout and stayed ahead of the also-victorious Sharks and Blues.
5. Will the Washington Capitals continue their five-game winning streak?
It looked really bad for the Capitals early, as the Hurricanes scored first and held a 13-0 advantage in shots at one point. But that first period goal would be the only one allowed by Braden Holtby in a stellar performance, and the Capitals turned the momentum around and scored the next three goals on their way to winning 3-1.
Impact Moment
What moment from Thursday night's games will be making headlines in the coming days?
It's not an injury or a possible suspension, but it's hard to see how anyone could talk about anything ever again other than Steve Ott licking Jeff Halpern:
Stat of the Night
Brian Elliott, good once again:
Elliott's third straight shutout extendsstreak to 189:29. He will be on bench Friday as Allen get the nod. #stlblues
— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) April 12, 2013
Post to Post
- If this year doesn't work out, what can Oilers fans look forward to next year?
- Should the Calgary Flames trade up in the draft?
- Boston fans are about to start a war with Sweden.
- Finally, the Buffalo Sabres just don't care any more:
Tyler Myers after 5-1 loss to Habs: "It was the worst effort the Buffalo Sabres have put on the ice since I've been a part if it."
— John Vogl (@BuffNewsVogl) April 12, 2013
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