Shootout Goals From Oshie, Steen Help Blues Top Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Not even some inside information from Olympic teammate Zach Parise could stop T.J. Oshie in a shootout.

Oshie -- a former player for the Sioux Falls Stampede -- and Alexander Steen scored shootout goals and the St. Louis Blues took over the top spot in the NHL standings with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.

In his first shootout since his memorable Olympic performance against Russia, Oshie beat Ilya Bryzgalov -- a Russian who wasn't on the team that lost to Oshie and Team USA in Sochi- over his shoulder in the first round. Steen sealed the win in the following round after the Blues' Brian Elliott turned away Parise and Mikko Koivu.

"I think I was talking to Zach about that move tonight over in Sochi and he might have told Bryz what it was," Oshie said about his backhand-to-forehand move. "It seemed like he had me and I got a little lucky. It must've just squeaked inside the post. I got a little fortunate on that one, but I'll keep taking them."

The Wild fell behind 2-0 early, but tied it with second-period goals from Jason Pominville and Matt Moulson. Not many teams are able to come back on St. Louis, which only allows 26.4 shots and 2.22 goals per game.

Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo scored on the second and third shots of the game for St. Louis. It was Colaiacovo's first goal since Feb. 11, 2012, a span of 42 games.

Bryzgalov had 21 saves in his first start for Minnesota since coming over in a trade with Edmonton on Tuesday. Like Oshie, Bryzgalov also thought he had the save in the shootout.

"You know, pretty much I almost had it. I don't know how he raised it over the shoulder," he said. "I thought there was no way to go for him. I was completely surprised he scored on that one."

The "legend" of Oshie in shootout situations continues to get bigger, even among teammates.

"When I see Osh going in on a shootout, I kind of giggle," Blues center David Backes said. "I told him afterward that the goalies are starting to play like soccer goalies because they're just guessing left or right. He's got moves left, got moves right, got moves straight ahead. It's pretty special to watch and I've seen it a lot."

The momentum shifted in the second after Pominville scored at 3:11 to make it 2-1.

Moulson tied it 4 minutes later with his first goal in a Wild sweater since being acquired in a trade with Buffalo on Wednesday.

Mikko Koivu intercepted a clearing attempt and zipped the puck to Moulson, who was in front of the net and knocked it past Brian Elliott.

Elliott stopped 17 shots and kept the game tied at 2 with a lunging stick save to deny Mikael Granlund with 13 minutes left in the third period.

Granlund was again denied by Elliott from in close early in the overtime session.

The Blues have won 16 in a row against the Central Division and are now 18-0-1 in division play. They've beaten Minnesota eight straight times, outscoring the Wild 25-10.

The Wild are 14-6-2 since Jan. 2, but lost their second straight after a five-game winning streak.

Both teams played Saturday night and appeared tired at the end of the third period and in overtime.

There's still a ways to go, but both teams could end up facing each other in the opening round of the playoffs.

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