Blues, Halak run shutout streak to two with 1-0 win

ST. LOUIS -- Jaroslav Halak is making it look easy in goal for the surging St. Louis Blues.

Halak made 15 saves for his second straight shutout, and Alex Pietrangelo scored with 5 minutes, 14 seconds left in the Blues' 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

St. Louis has earned points in a franchise-record 14 straight home games. The Blues are 7-0-1 in January, an NHL-best 20-3-3 at home and lead the league with nine shutouts.

The Blues are tied for second overall in the NHL, a point behind Detroit.

Edmonton has dropped 12 of its last 13 road games.

St. Louis Blues' Alex Pietrangelo, right, is congratulated by teammate Jamie Langenbrunner after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in St. Louis. The Blues won 1-0. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Halak, coming off a 1-0 victory over Dallas on Monday, has four shutouts this season and 20 overall. He improved to 10-0-3 in his last 13, hasn't allowed a goal in 148:25 and hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 22.

A far cry from his 1-6 start over the first month of the season.

"It was like a bad dream," Halak said. "I had to put it aside and forget about what happened. Start over, that's what I had to do."

Halak has posted the fourth-longest scoreless streak of his career. He went a career-best 160:08 without allowing a goal last season.

Pietrangelo scored his eighth goal of the season on a wraparound. He has at least one point in a career-best eight games. He said Halak has played well all season and is just finally getting the proper results.

"He stood on his head earlier in the year too," Pietrangelo said. "We just weren't scoring for him."

St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said Halak simply returned to the basics.

"He's aggressive, he's sound and he's compact," Hitchcock said. "When you've got the flexibility that he has, good things are going to happen.

Thanks to Halak and teammate Brian Elliott, St. Louis leads the league with a 1.94 goals-against-average.

Pietrangelo gave Halak all the necessary support with his fourth game-winning goal of the season. He picked up a loose puck behind the net and slipped it behind Edmonton goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.

"I am lucky enough to have a long stick," Pietrangelo. "I was able to reach around before he got over there."