ST. LOUIS (AP) — Under pressure in a shootout, Carter Hutton looked like a poised veteran.
The backup goalie stopped both attempts he faced, and Brayden Schenn and Alexander Steen scored in the tiebreaker to lead the St. Louis Blues past the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on Thursday night.
St. Louis beat the Coyotes for the 12th straight time and has won seven of eight overall.
Hutton, making his fourth start of the season, turned aside Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan to seal the victory.
“I just tried to reset myself and focus in,” Hutton said. “I just wanted to be patient. I wait and wait and then make a move.”
Alex Pietrangelo and fellow defenseman Joel Edmundson scored in regulation for the first-place Blues (13-3-1), who have earned at least one point in their last 16 games against the Coyotes.
Brendan Perlini scored twice for Arizona (2-13-3), which hasn’t won in regulation and sits last in the NHL standings. One of the Coyotes’ wins came in overtime, the other in a shootout.
Hutton has won all four of his starts this season.
“I thought he was fantastic,” Pietrangelo said.
St. Louis coach Mike Yeo marveled at Hutton’s ability to stay sharp in a second-string role.
“What he’s doing is really impressive and extremely important to our hockey club,” Yeo said. “It’s amazing the way he’s able to amp up.”
Hutton picked up his first win since his son, Palmer, was born last week. Plus, his parents were in attendance.
“It was special,” Hutton said. “I’ve saved the puck for (Palmer).”
The Blues took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Edmundson, his career-high fifth of the season.
Perlini scored twice in the second period, but Pietrangelo tied it with 14:59 left in regulation on a drive from inside the blue line.
The Coyotes last beat St. Louis 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 12, 2013.
The Blues’ 12-game winning streak over Arizona is the longest in the league by one team against another. Chicago has beaten Buffalo 11 times in a row and Boston has won its last 11 games against the Coyotes.
Despite the loss, Arizona coach Rick Tocchet saw some positives.
“Guys were good, they trusted the system,” he said. “We got some good efforts.”
Arizona goalie Antti Raanta made 36 saves, including a point-blank stop on a breakaway by Jaden Schwartz in overtime.
“Lots of chances both ways,” Raanta said. “We played well the whole game, but we couldn’t get it done.”
NOTES: Keller grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Swansea, Illinois. … The Coyotes have played eight of their last 10 games on the road. … Blues D Carl Gunnarsson celebrated his 31st birthday. … Blues defensemen have accounted for 19 of the team’s 54 goals this season.
UP NEXT
Coyotes: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Blues: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday night.
Photo credit – Jeff Roberson / Associated Press / St. Louis, MO
