St. Louis — This one will sting for the Red Wings.
Having outplayed St. Louis most of the evening, the Wings allowed the Blues to tie it late in regulation time, then Farmington Hills native Cam Fowler scored at 3 minutes, 26 seconds of overtime giving the Blues a 2-1 victory.
Goaltender Cam Talbot was terrific for the Wings, but couldn’t hold off the Blues on his own late.
“Brutal,” said forward J.T. Compher, who scored the lone Wings’ goal. “We played a good road game for a long time and Talbs played out of mind and gave us a chance to win. They squeaked one (goal) in late and steal a point from us.”
With the Blues possessing an extra attacker in regulation, Jordan Kyrou lifted a shot that barely got through Talbot with 30 seconds left in regulation time, tying the game at 1-1, Kyrou’s 32nd goal.
Fowler then won it in overtime, giving the Blues’ their 10th consecutive victory, beating Talbot from the hashmarks.
BOX SCORE: Blues 2, Red Wings 1 (OT)
Before Kyrou’s goal late in regulation, the Wings failed to clear the puck and had tired bodies on the ice, giving the Blues an opportunity to make a good play to tie the game.
“It’s tough, we know what’s at stake and it’s not the fact we gave up a point to an opponent, it was just that we didn’t get the point,” coach Todd McLellan said. “After starting slow, Talbs kept us in it, and we worked our way back in. We checked fairly well. They’re a tough team to handle. We put ourselves in a situation to win and with about 3:40 let we iced the puck and we were tired.
“We just couldn’t find a way to hit the open net at the other end and just finish the night.”
Compher who broke a 0-0 tie with his goal early in the third period. Compher, unattended at the post, had an easy tap in past Binnington at 5 minutes, 13 seconds of the third period, Compher’s ninth goal.
After Compher’s goal the Wings played well with the lead and looked to be headed for a big two points in the standings.
“We played on our toes, kept on the forecheck and hunted down (the Blues) and we did a good job,” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “They created chances, they’re a good team. But Talbs handled it unbelievably and it’s very tough that that one goes in.”
Kyrou basically deflected the puck past Talbot, who was square and in good position.
“Six on five, they’re a real good team and we’re not going to be perfect,” McLellan said. “We had numerous clears and didn’t get it at the net. They made a good play, a deflection that was nowhere near the net and you can’t cover everything. They threaded the needle and it went in. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other team and it’s not about the mistakes we make.
“They made real good plays as well.”
It was Talbot who gave the Wings with any sort of chance, stopping 35 shots — the Blues outshot the Wings 37-21 — and outplaying Blues goalie Jordan Binnington for most of the evening.
Talbot made several huge stops in the third period to preserve the lead.
“It’s even more frustrating that we couldn’t get it done for him,” Seider said. “He’s playing unreal and at least giving ourselves a chance to stay in the fight.”
The one point earned was fine but ultimately wasn’t good enough for the Wings.
Montreal rallied late to tie in regulation, then defeated Florida in overtime, keeping the second wild-card spot with 79 points. Ottawa, holding the first spot, lost to Buffalo but has 84 points.
Columbus defeated Nashville to move up to 77 points, ahead of the New York Rangers (77 points), who have played one more game than Columbus.
The Wings, with the one point, inched to 75 points, four points behind Montreal for the final playoff spot with eight games remaining for each team.
“It’s disappointing, but the effort was good,” McLellan said. “But we were on the short end of the point. Suck it up and get going at home now. We have a couple of tough teams coming up at home, Carolina (Friday) and Florida (Sunday). We know they’re real important (games) and this type of effort will give an opportunity for us to win.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
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