Blues rookie goalie Sanford nets shutout in victory over Penguins

~ St. Louis picked up a rare victory, defeating Pittsburgh 3-0.

ST. LOUIS -- Curtis Sanford and Keith Tkachuk downplayed their individual accomplishments for the St. Louis Blues.

Sanford made 21 saves for his second shutout of the season, and Tkachuk, Jamal Mayers and Doug Weight scored goals in a 3-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

"It's nice just to get the two points," said Sanford, making his first start since Nov. 26. "Never mind the shutout."

Tkachuk's goal, his eighth in nine games, extended his goal streak to five games and gave him 15 points in his last seven games.

"Points don't matter to me," Tkachuk said. "Giving my team a chance to win, that's all that matters to me."

The Blues' ended a three-game losing streak with only their third home win of the season and sixth overall.

Mayers scored a short-handed goal with 5:08 remaining. He put the puck between goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's leg after breaking in alone following a turnover.

Doug Weight finished the scoring with an empty-netter with 50 seconds left.

Pittsburgh was shut out for the third time this season.

Sanford improved to 3-4 this season with his third shutout in 16 career NHL games.

Fleury made 39 saves

"It's always tough to lose a game," Fleury said. "It doesn't matter how many shots you face."

Tkachuk opened the scoring less than a minute into the second period off a feed from Mike Sillinger. The play developed as a 3-on-1, with Dennis Wideman trailing after Pittsburgh's Sergei Gonchar fell down at the St. Louis blue line when he overskated Penguins rookie star Sidney Crosby's drop pass.

Noteworthy

• The Blues traded minor-league forward Blake Evans to Edmonton on Tuesday for future considerations. Evans, 25, plays for the Blues' AHL affiliate in Peoria, Ill. He had four goals and seven assists in 26 games.