ST. LOUIS — It's tough to say that two-game stretches in January are pivotal to the season's outcome, but this week's two-game set vs. the Flames could qualify.

The Flames entered Tuesday in the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the exact team that the Blues are trying to chase down. They entered winners of three in a row, and on the backside of a back-to-back.

The Blues set themselves up well with a 2-1 win over the Flames on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center.

Radek Faksa scored the game-winning goal for the Blues with 8:49 remaining in the third period. Faksa tipped Tyler Tucker's point shot for his third goal of the season in his third game back from a skate cut that forced him to miss 12 of the previous 13 games.

The Blues entered the evening five points behind the Flames despite having played two more games than Calgary.

“The opportunity in front of us creates excitement," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on Tuesday morning. "We will see when we drop the puck tonight the determination and the north hockey that we need to have to be able to establish ourselves against a real good hockey team.”

Parayko starts it off

Blues defenseman Colton Parayko continued his stellar offensive season with his ninth goal of the season. That puts him one goal from tying his career high 10, accomplished three times, including last season. Parayko also has 25 points in 45 games, which would put him on pace for about 46 points across a full season; his career high is 35, done three times before.

Parayko scored just 49 seconds into the game, hopping on a rebound in the right circle, cradling the puck and picking his spot in the far corner. Parayko initially put a puck on goal, which Dan Vladar spit out to the opposite corner to Cam Fowler. Fowler’s attempt on goal was tipped by Brayden Schenn and blocked by Mackenzie Weegar before finding its way to Parayko.

Parayko scored the Blues’ only goal during a 2-1 loss to Columbus on Saturday night, a late one on the power play with 10.5 seconds remaining with a 6 on 4 advantage. That meant that Parayko scored the Blues’ last two goals, and did it in under a minute of game time (across three days, of course).

It was the third time this season that the Blues scored in the game’s first minute. They scored nine seconds into a game in New Jersey (Robert Thomas) and 11 seconds into a game vs. San Jose (Nathan Walker).

Sundqvist whistled again

When Oskar Sundqvist was called for slashing with 6:22 left in the first period, it marked his third straight penalty, following a pair of minors called on him Saturday vs. Columbus. Sundqvist was finishing an 87-second shift after he remained on the ice following a Blues power play, and wound up Rory Kerins at the Blues’ net-front.

On the season, Sundqvist has 22 penalty minutes, and has drawn just 10 minutes in penalties. No Blue currently on the roster has a worse drawn penalty margin.

Sundqvist was on the ice for Kevin Bahl's game-tying goal at 6:06 of the third period, as he lost the puck along the boards, leading to a Flames possession and Bahl's goal from the left flank. For Bahl, it was just his second goal of the season.

Old habits

Flames forward Nazem Kadri was still a target of boos inside Enterprise Center on Tuesday night, the lingering effect of injuring Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington during a 2022 playoff series, when Kadri was part of the Avalanche. Colorado defeated the Blues in the second round of the playoffs and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Kadri is in his third year in Calgary after signing a free-agent deal with the Flames. He entered Tuesday night with 15 goals and 14 assists in 42 games, and centered Calgary’s top line.

Blues fans will have another chance to boo Kadri since the Flames will stay in St. Louis to face the Blues again on Thursday night.

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