The St. Louis Blues scored in the 9th second of play to spoil Jacob Markstrom’s 500th NHL game, winning 3-0 over the New Jersey Devils.
It was the Blues’ second victory in the space of 24 hours, and their second since Montrealer Jim Montgomery made his debut as head coach, following his dismissal by the Boston Bruins.
The ceremony to congratulate Markstrom for this beautiful plateau was barely over when Robert Thomas brought him back to earth by opening the score at his expense.
This net after nine seconds was the third fastest in franchise history.
Dylan Holloway followed up with his 5th goal of the campaign six minutes later, and Holloway did it again at 16:05 of the first period, giving the visitors a three-goal lead.
Jordan Binnington took care of the rest, as he repeatedly frustrated the Devils, en route to his first shutout of the season, and the 16th of his career.
Binnington totaled 31 saves, while Markstrom faced 18 shots.
The Blues come back one game below the .500 mark by increasing their record to 11-12-1. They scored three goals in the first half for the first time this season.
After its three-game trip to the New York region, St. Louis will return to its fans on Saturday night by hosting the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Blues will monitor the health of winger Pavel Buchnevich, who was forced to retreat to the locker room in the middle period.
The Russian forward fell during a battle for position in front of the Devils net, and was seen leaving the ice struggling to put weight on one leg.
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