Toews nets hat trick with OT goal, Blackhawks top Blues

ST. LOUIS — Jonathan Toews scored his third goal of the game 2:20 into overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 on Saturday night.

Toews tied it at 4 at 6:59 of the third period when he corralled the rebound of Alex DeBrincat's slap shot and pushed it past Blues goalie Jake Allen. Toews scored the winner on a breakaway to give the Blackhawks their second consecutive overtime victory.

“He scored a huge goal at the end of the first period … that got us back in the game, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He scores a huge goal to tie the game. And then the winner — a bigger one. You look at all three and the importance of them, and what he did on each play. It was a lot of workmanlike work throughout the shift. They ended it with being around the net, and obviously it was a great finish on the breakaway.”

Toews' first goal cut Chicago's deficit to 2-1 just 68 seconds after Tarasenko scored his first goal of the season to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead.

Chris Butler put the Blues ahead 4-3 in the third just 22 seconds after Vladimir Tarasenko's second goal. The goal was Butler's first in the NHL since March 7, 2015, at Toronto.

Cam Ward stopped 26 shots to improve to 2-0. Allen made 25 saves.

“I liked the way we competed right from the start of training camp and going into these games,” Quenneville said. “A lot of good character things. And you get your captain leading the charge like that, that sets the tone.”