Tkachuk scores twice as Blues beat Predators 5-2

Keith Tkachuk scored two of St. Louis' four power-play goals , leading the Blues to a 5-2 season-opening victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night. Brad Boyes and David Backes also scored with the man advantage for the Blues, who won their season opener for the first time since 1996 and ended a five-game losing streak against Nashville. St. Louis, last in the NHL with a 14.1-percent success rate last season while finishing 14th in the Western Conference, was 4-for-6 overall on the power play. The Blues, who are using five forwards on the power play after star defenseman Erik Johnson's season-ending knee injury before training camp, scored four with the man advantage for the first time since Jan. 1, 2004. They need 24 power plays over five games to score get four last season. Ryan Suter and Joel Ward scored for the... [read full story]