Blues' Tarasenko named January's Rookie of Month

NEW YORK -- St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko, who led all rookies in scoring with nine points (five goals, four assists) in seven games, has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for January.

Tarasenko edged Tampa Bay Lightning center Cory Conacher (3-6--9 in six games), Edmonton Oilers center Nail Yakupov (4-1--5 in seven games), Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz (2-3--5 in seven games) and Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (1-4--5 in six games).

Tarasenko, 21, made his NHL debut on the opening night of the 2012-13 regular season and tallied goals on each of his first two shots in a 6-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 19. He notched three points (one goal, two assists) in his next game, a 4-3 shootout win over the Nashville Predators Jan. 21, becoming the first Blues rookie in nearly 35 years to record five points in his first two NHL contests (Wayne Babych, 1978-79). Tarasenko closed the month with a four-game point streak, capped by his fifth goal of the season in a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Jan. 31.

Tarasenko was the Blues' second choice, 16th overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft.