Blues knock off first-place Predators in shootout

ST. LOUIS -- Kevin Shattenkirk scored the winner in the shootout to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 5-4 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Jaden Schwartz, T.J. Oshie, Steve Ott and Ryan Reaves all scored in regulation for the Blues (30-13-4), who improved to 8-0-1 over their last nine games. Brian Elliott made 33 saves for St. Louis.

Mike Fisher scored twice and added an assist for Nashville (31-10-6), which fell to 12-8-5 on the road. Carter Hutton made 31 saves.

The Predators, who also got goals from Filip Forsberg and James Neal, finished 3-1-1 against the Blues this season.

Nashville scored first, with 7 minutes, 11 seconds left in the first period, when Fisher deflected a shot from Roman Josi that ricocheted off the glass and then off Elliott's back and into the net for the Predators' 13th power-play goal in 14 games.

Forsberg gave Nashville a 2-0 lead at the 5:36 mark of the second period when he knocked in the rebound of a shot from Craig Smith.

St. Louis answered with three straight goals.

Schwartz scored his 17th on the rebound off a shot by Vladimir Tarasenko on a partial breakaway after Tarasenko outraced Mattias Ekholm to the puck.

Then Oshie scored his 14th on a rebound of a Paul Stastny shot with 7:24 remaining in the second period and Steve Ott scored on a rebound of Shattenkirk's shot just 26 seconds later to give the Blues a 3-2 lead.

Nashville tied the score with 4:28 left in the period on Fisher's second goal, and 11th of the season.

Then St. Louis took the lead again with 1:45 remaining in the second after Reaves stole the puck from Seth Jones at the blue line and blasted a shot through Hutton's legs for a 4-3 advantage.

Nashville's Neal tied the score with 2:38 remaining in regulation with his 16th of the season.

Noteworthy

• St. Louis goalie Martin Brodeur announced his retirement on Thursday morning. He holds the NHL records for wins, shutouts, games played and minutes played. He dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game.
• Center Marcel Goc made his debut with the Blues on Thursday. St. Louis acquired him from Pittsburgh in exchange for center Maxim Lapierre.
• St. Louis center David Backes played in his 614th game with the Blues, passing Al MacInnis for eighth on the franchise's all-time list.
• St. Louis left winger Patrik Berglund left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return.