Binnington, Blues shut out Coyotes for eighth straight win

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals for the St. Louis Blues in their eighth straight win, 4-0 against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on Thursday.

Tarasenko has nine goals and eight assists in an NHL career-high 10-game point streak.
"I got away early in the season from counting my goals and points, and tried to enjoy the game," Tarasenko said. "But I'm not going to lie, it feels nice. It feels nicer helping the team win."
WATCH: [All Blues vs. Coyotes highlights]
Jordan Binnington made 21 saves for his third shutout, and Joel Edmundson had a goal and an assist for the Blues (29-22-5), who have the longest active winning streak in the NHL and their longest since they won nine in a row Oct. 15-Nov. 5, 2002.
"It wasn't perfect game, but we played good enough," Edmundson said. "I don't think we gave them too much, but when they had a chance, [Binnington] was there to save us.
The Coyotes (25-27-5) lost for the first time in three games and the sixth time in their past eight. Darcy Kuemper made 20 saves.
"We were sloppy early and gave them a two-goal lead, and they locked it down," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "They sat back, and we didn't penetrate much. It seemed like every time they shot, they scored."

Binnington has won seven games in a row, matching Brent Johnson's two seven-game winning streaks in 2000-01 for the longest by a rookie goalie in St. Louis history. Binnington is 11-1-1 in his first 13 NHL starts.
"He's playing unreal. It's really huge for our team," Tarasenko said. "It's really amazing."
Binnington said he wasn't aware he tied a Blues record.
"It's a nice thing to hear, but I'm more excited about the direction the team is heading," Binnington said. "We're being selfless, and it's fun to be part of the team right now."
Edmundson scored his second goal of the season, first since Oct. 11, to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 3:33 of the first period.
"I know my role, but you obviously want to help out (offensively) whenever you can," the defenseman said. "I really wanted to get on the board and help the team out right off the bat and get the boys rolling."
Tarasenko redirected Edmundson's shot from the top of the left face-off circle for a 2-0 lead at 15:31 of the first.
"He was really noticeable in the first period, driving wide with speed, trying to cut the corner on defensemen, and taking it to the net," St. Louis coach Craig Berube said of Tarasenko. "He's skating well, and that's a good thing."
Tarasenko scored a power-play goal at 16:21 of the second to make it 3-0.
Bortuzzo scored his second goal of the season to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead at 12:03 of the third.
"Before the game, me and [fellow defenseman Bortuzzo] were talking that we both needed to get one tonight," Edmundson said. "It was nice for him to get one too. We were both due for a goal. Whenever a guy like me or [Bortuzzo] scores, it gets the whole team going."
The Blues are 12-2-1 in their past 15 games to move into third place in the Central Division.
"They've been the hottest team in the NHL of late, and we knew it was going to be a tough game, one we should have been ready for," Coyotes forward Brad Richardson said. "We didn't play very good in the first, we got down, and then they didn't give us much and we couldn't generate much."

They said it

"We came out strong, at the start of every period we came out hard, and that set the tone for every period. We made great plays, smart defensive plays, and we competed. And special teams were great."-- Blues goalie Jordan Binnington

"Some guys worked hard and some guys were a little sluggish. [Binnington] looked good. I don't know if he got tested, but he looked big in the net. To St. Louis, you've got to be quicker on the puck than them, but early on we were sluggish." -- Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet

Need to know

The Blues have outscored their opponents 33-14 during their winning streak. ... St. Louis lost its previous three games against Arizona. ... Tarasenko has six goals in the past four games. ... Binnington has two shutouts during his winning streak. ... Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was plus-2 and is plus-8 in his past two games. ... The Coyotes are 10-14-3 at Gila River Arena, their 23 points at home the fewest in the NHL. ... Richardson (upper-body injury) played for the first time since Jan. 10.

What's next

Blues: At the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ALT, FS-MW, NHL.TV)
Coyotes: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, FS-A, NHL.TV)