Hoffman, Stone score twice each; Senators beat Blues 6-4

Paul Stastny, Kevin Shattenkirk, Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund scored for the Blues, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Carter Hutton made 18 saves.

Stone’s third goal in four games at the 2:35 mark of the third period halted a Blues surge. Exactly a minute after Steen tied it, Stone stole Jaden Schwartz’s pass to score his 14th goal of the season, giving the Senators a 4-3 lead.

“It was a good bounce for me of course,” Stone said. “Especially after a shift after they scored we put on some good pressure and got a few chances. When you pressure any team obviously they’re going to be loose pucks and I got it there and fired it in.”

Stone took a puck off the leg earlier in that same shift. He was hobbled by it so he came into the zone late, but in the perfect position to get the turnover.

“That was huge because their goal gave the building a little bit of energy and definitely their team some energy,” Hoffman said. “We came back right after that and got one, which I think was the icing on the cake.”

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock called Stone’s goal “a killer.”

“Turn it over and that’s the game,” Hitchcock said. “To come back and make it 3-3 and have the momentum and give it back that quickly is disappointing.”

Hoffman’s goal at 13:53, his 14th of the season, gave the Senators insurance. Stone added an empty-netter.

Pageau scored his first goal in 15 games to give the Senators a 1-0 lead at the 3:03 mark of the first period.

It was the seventh consecutive time the Blues surrendered the first goal on home ice.

Stastny evened it with a power-play goal midway through the first. Stastny has seven points, including four goals, in his last seven games.

Hoffman regained the lead for the Senators with a power-play goal with 6:34 left in the second period. Hoffman scored his third goal in his last four games after Kyle Turris’ shot went off Robert Bortuzzo and deflected right to his stick.

“I’m just kind of sitting in that spot,” Hoffman said. “It wasn’t much their goalie or their ‘D.’ It was just a lucky bounce that landed on my stick.”

Ryan made it 3-1 Senators 85 seconds later. Hutton thought he had Ryan Dzingel’s shot covered with his pad, but the whistle never blew and Ryan banged the rebound into the net.

It was Ryan’s 18th goal and 32nd point in 25 career games against the Blues.

“I think we’ve asked our players to improve since Christmas at driving the net and paying the price around the net and we certainly did that with the goals that we had,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said.

Shattenkirk scored with 46 seconds left in the second to cut Ottawa’s lead to 3-2. Shattenkirk extended his points streak against the Senators to four games.

Steen scored the Blues’ second power-play goal of the game to tie it 3-3 at the 1:35 mark of the third period.

NOTES: The Blues lost D Brad Hunt after Nashville claimed him on waivers. … F Berglund played in his 600th game as a Blue. … Senators G Craig Anderson (personal leave) is expected to be away for at least a couple of more weeks. He is with his wife, who is battling cancer. .. Senators F Clarke MacArthur (concussion) is undergoing tests in Ottawa.

UP NEXT

Senators: Will play at Columbus on Thursday.

Blues: Will host Washington on Thursday.

Joe Harris, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Hoffman, Stone score twice each; Senators beat Blues 6-4

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