Evan Rodrigues scores twice to put Buffalo into OT against the St. Louis Blues.
By Louie Korac / NHL.com Correspondent
ST. LOUIS, MO. — Vladimir Tarasenko scored with 35.2 seconds remaining in overtime, and the St. Louis Blues won their fourth straight with a 3-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres at Scottrade Center on Sunday.
Tarasenko got the puck at center ice, drove into the Sabres zone and poked a shot short side past Robin Lehner.
Evan Rodrigues scored two goals in the third period for the Sabres (7-17-6), including the tying goal with 1:27 remaining. Lehner made 42 saves.
Rodrigues made it 2-1 at 1:42 of the third after Evander Kane’s pass through the crease deflected off Sam Reinhart.
Rodrigues tied it after the Sabres pulled Lehner. Marco Scandella’s shot hit Ryan O’Reilly and went to directly to Rodrigues in the left circle.
The Blues (21-8-2), who are first in the Western Conference with 44 points, played without Jaden Schwartz and Alex Pietrangelo, who were injured in a 6-1 win at the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Schwartz injured his right ankle and will be re-evaluated in six weeks; Pietrangelo is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Brayden Schenn and Paul Stastny scored for the Blues, who are 10-1-1 against the Sabres at home in the past 11 games, including six in a row. Jake Allen made 22 saves.
Schenn gave the Blues a 1-0 lead 40 seconds into the first period. He went to the net after Joel Edmundson’s shot from the left circle caromed off Scandella in the slot. Schenn leads St. Louis with 16 goals.
Stastny’s seventh goal of the season at 16:17 of the second period made it 2-0.