The St. Louis Blues are less interested in identifying why they’ve suddenly turned things

ANAHEIM Adidas Tage Thompson Jersey , Calif. (AP) The St. Louis Blues are less interested in identifying why they’ve suddenly turned things around than they are in simply extending their improved play.After losing nine of 10 and fading in the playoff race, the Blues won their second consecutive game against a team they’re pursuing in the Western Conference, beating the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Monday night.St. Louis got goals from four players, two days after seven Blues scored in a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.”We beat two teams we’re chasing in the standings,” coach Mike Yeo said. ”We could have put ourselves in a pretty dire situation, bury ourselves almost to the point of not having a chance.”Instead, a desperate Blues team is now one point back of Anaheim and Colorado for the final playoff spot in the West.Robert Bortuzzo, Ivan Barbashev Adidas Rasmus Andersson Jersey , Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues, who are uncertain what got them going.”I’m not actually sure,” Bortuzzo said. ”Everyone knows they have to bring it every night. I’m not sure what the pinpoint was for elevating our play, but we have done it.”It’s one thing to work hard, it’s another thing to work smart. And I think we’re doing that right now.”Corey Perry and Derek Grant scored for the Ducks, who lost their third straight. John Gibson stopped 18 shots.Anaheim had won seven of nine before hitting its current skid.”There really is no reason for it,” Kevin Bieksa said. ”It’s on us as players. We have to execute with the puck no matter the situation. When you don’t execute against a team like that, you get tired and frustrated. And that’s the result.”For the second consecutive game Adidas Dalton Prout Jersey , the Blues jumped out to a 2-0 lead.Bortuzzo, a defenseman, scored his second goal in two games and third of the season. Barbashev, a forward who plays on the fourth line, scored on a rebound and added an assist.”It’s nice to chip in,” Bortuzzo said. ”It’s a fun atmosphere right now. We’re doing the right things and that’s why we’re getting rewarded with goals.”Everyone is doing their part right now. We’re getting goals from a lot of different sources.”The Ducks cut the St. Louis lead to 2-1 when Perry scored his 15th of the season, but each time Anaheim challenged, the Blues responded.”We need to understand there is a certain type of game that’s being played right now Adidas Derek Ryan Jersey ,” Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. ”We’ve given the opposition too many gifts. Those are mental breakdowns that have to be corrected.”Sobotka’s goal put St. Louis up 3-1, and after Chris Kelly’s shot deflected off Grant to pull Anaheim back within one, the Ducks turned it over and Berglund answered to put it away.”It just seems like we’re making the right decisions,” said Alex Pietrangelo, who had two assists. ”We’re picking each other up.”Jake Allen stopped 20 shots for the Blues.”We’re trending in the right direction,” Allen said. ”We still have a decent shot to get in there and make some noise. Hopefully we keep going.”NOTES: The loss snapped a nine-game point streak for the Ducks. . The Blues will continue to play teams they are trying to chase down in the West when they next host the Avalanche. . Anaheim’s Adam Henrique skated in his 500th career game.UP NEXTBlues: Return home to play Colorado on Thursday.Ducks: Play the second of four consecutive home games Wednesday against Vancouver.— PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The New Jersey Devils were happy to prove they can win away from home.Keith Kinkaid made 29 saves, Kyle Palmieri scored and the Devils beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 on Thursday night.Joey Anderson also scored and Blake Coleman added an empty-netter for the Devils, who won consecutive games for the first time since opening the season with four straight victories. New Jersey got its second road win in nine tries this season. The Devils have played eight of their last nine on the road.“It’s important to get back on the winning track Adidas James Neal Jersey ,” coach John Hynes said. “It’s important to put an end to that.”Philadelphia lost its second straight after Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Florida ended a six-game point streak.Besides Kinkaid’s strong game, the Devils had fortune on their side. Philadelphia hit the goal post five times and had a goal disallowed.“We did a lot of good things,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. “It’s definitely frustrating.”Kinkaid maintained a one-goal lead through the second period when he used his glove to stop Jakub Voracek twice in the final 56.1 seconds. The goalie almost gifted Philadelphia a goal with just over three minutes left when he turned it over from behind the net to Wayne Simmonds right in front. Kinkaid recovered to get his stick on Simmonds’ attempt.The shutout was Kinkaid’s third of the season and seventh of his career.“That’s the way we have to play on the road,” Kinkaid said. “We battled hard.”Anderson’s goal 2:45 into the contest was the only one until Palmieri’s wraparound tally with 6:08 remaining. Coleman’s shot into an empty net finished the scoring with 3:02 left.Flyers goalie Brian Elliott appeared to suffer a lower body injury on the play. He was replaced by backup Calvin Pickard.Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said the team would learn more Friday about the extent of Elliott’s injury.Anderson staked New Jersey to a 1-0 lead by finishing a tic-tac-toe passing attack with a hard wrist shot from the slot that got past Elliott’s left pad. A rookie, Anderson recorded his first career goal after pretty assists from Coleman and Brett Seney.“Nice for him to be able to get his first goal,” Hynes said. “He’s played really well and really fits how we want to play.”The Flyers hit the goal post on four shots and had a goal disallowed in the first. Shayne Gostisbehere’s apparent equalizer five minutes after Anderson’s goal was nixed due to goalie interference when James van Riemsdyk bumped Kinkaid. The officials’ on-ice call was upheld after a video review.Hakstol said he wasn’t displeased with Philadelphia’s effort.“We created enough, and then some, to score goals Adidas Austin Czarnik Jersey ,” he said. “I like the way we played.”Philadelphia welcomed its big offseason acquisition, van Riemsdyk, back to the ice. The forward had been out since injuring his knee in the second game of the season.Notes: Flyers D Radko Gudas (illness) was a late scratch. He was replaced by Andrew MacDonald, who returned to the lineup for the first time since Oct. 25. … The teams will play twice more, on Jan. 12 and March 1, with both games at New Jersey. … Devils C Nico Hischier (upper body) didn’t play for the second straight game. … New Jersey improved to 7-0-1 when leading after the second period.UP NEXTDevils: Host Detroit on Saturday.Flyers: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday to end a season-long five-game homestand.