NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Mike Sillinger got a key goal in the first minute of the third period, helping the Nashville Predators remain perfect against the reeling St. Louis Blues.
Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves to lead the Predators to a 2-1 victory Saturday night, handing the Blues their 10th straight loss. Nashville snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 6-0-0 against St. Louis this season.
Sillinger, playing in his 900th career game, tied the score with his 28th goal of the season just 41 seconds into the third period. With the Predators on the power play, he took the rebound of Yanic Perreault's shot and put the puck past goalie Patrick Lalime's stick four his fourth goal in as many games.
"They were fighting and playing hard, we were forced to pick it up in the third," Sillinger said. "We were getting the puck to the net, but not capitalizing on the rebounds."
Martin Erat got the game-winner for the Predators about 2 1/2 minutes later. Skating down the right side of the ice, with Blues defenseman Steve Poapst on him, Erat cut to the high slot and fired a wrist shot through the legs of Lalime.
"I saw the defenseman backing up behind the blue line, and I knew that I was going to cut to the middle and try to shoot it," Erat said. "We put the four-game losing streak behind us, and now we have to focus on our remaining eight games."
The Predators moved six points ahead of Colorado and Anaheim for fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
"We knew the power play to start the third was critical for us," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "Sillinger got the big goal there, and that was the window that let us in the game."
Mike Glumac gave the Blues a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 11:43 of the first period. Vokoun was unable to cover the puck during a goalmouth scramble, and it glanced off Vokoun's glove and onto Glumac's stick. The center banged the puck into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
St. Louis has scored two or fewer goals in each game of its current skid.
"It is tough right now, but we have been pushing hard," Glumac said. "The past few games, we haven't been outplayed, but a few bounces here and there didn't go our way."
The Blues were unable to tie the game despite a 4-minute power play after Perreault was sent off with a double-minor for high sticking at 15:04 of the third.
"They had some good chances on the power play," Trotz said. "They were sitting on top of Tomas and firing away with the puck."
Lalime left the game with 9 minutes remaining in the game after colliding with Nashville's Scott Hartnell. Lalime was replaced by Reinhard Divis. After the game, the Blues announced that Lalime sustained a torn ACL in his left knee. The Blues felt Hartnell should have received a penalty on the play.
"Hartnell falls on him, no one pushed him," Blues coach Mike Kitchen said. "Thats contact period, it's a penalty, you can't have that."
Nashville and St. Louis have two games remaining against each other this season, both in St. Louis.
Notes: The Blues, one of Sillinger's 10 former teams, traded him to Nashville on Jan. 29 in exchange for right wing Timofei Shishkanov. ... Nashville right wing Jordin Tootoo played in his 100th career NHL game... Perreault set a career high with 30 assists.
