Pronger leads Blues to win at home over Blackhawks

ST. LOUIS -- With the St. Louis Blues in need of offense, defenseman Chris Pronger decided to lead by example.

Pronger jumped into the play as much as possible against the Chicago Blackhawks and produced two goals and an assist in the Blues' 7-4 victory Monday night.

"I think on any team the defense has to get involved, whether that's getting assists or just getting the puck to the net," Pronger said. "We all have to chip in a little."

The Blues have been having trouble scoring all season. The seven goals were a season-high for a game.

"We were in desperate need of tonight's win and it's going to help us," Blues coach Joel Quenneville said.

Chicago is trying hard to get a road victory but the Blackhawks are 0-13-0-1 away from home since beating Nashville on Nov. 7.

Blackhawks goalie Steve Passmore said the team just has to find a win, wherever they are.

"I don't care where we're playing," Passmore said. "We're trying to climb the ladder in the standings and we need wins. Where we play doesn't matter. We don't think about that. You guys do."

Mike Danton also had two goals for the Blues, and Christian Backman, Pavol Demitra and Scott Mellanby added scores. Mark Bell, Bryan Berard, Keith Calder and Alexei Zhamnov had the Chicago goals.

Neither starting goalie made it to the finish. St. Louis' Chris Osgood allowed four goals on 14 shots and was pulled for Reinhard Divis. Chicago's Michael Leighton got the hook in favor of Passmore after giving up four goals on 16 shots.

Berard said this was not an ideal type of game for the Blackhawks.

"I'm not sure that's a style we want to get into," he said. "We just have to be more sound in our end."

The Blackhawks spotted the Blues a 3-0 lead in the first 12:14, then scored late in the opening period and three times early in the second to briefly take the lead.

Bell cut it to 3-1 at 17:02 of the first when his shot from the top of the left circle beat Osgood through his legs. Berard then scored a power-play goal from the left point 49 seconds into the second, and Calder put a bad bounce off the end boards past a surprised Osgood at 4:16 to tie it 3-3.

With the Blues again short-handed, Zhamnov gave Chicago the lead and chased Osgood when his shot sailed over Osgood's glove 50 seconds later. But Mellanby tied it 53 seconds after that on a wrist shot from the right side. That caused Leighton's departure.

Pronger scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal when he converted Weight's centering pass while moving in from the blue line at 10:06 of the second period.

Danton had an insurance tally at 8:55 of the third and then scored an empty-net goal with 1:31 remaining.

The Blues, who scored three goals in their previous four games, got three on their first five shots.

Noteworthy

Brent Johnson, long earmarked as the Blues' goaltender for the future, was put on waivers Monday with the intent of assigning him to minor-league Worcester. Johnson will join Worcester if he is not claimed by another team.

Blues broadcaster Ken Wilson was honored before the game in recognition of his 20 years of announcing Blues games.

St. Louis had not scored three goals in a period since doing it in the first on Oct. 29 at Detroit.

The Blackhawks' leading scorer, Steve Sullivan, was helped off the ice with 3:04 remaining after colliding with teammate Stephane Robidas.