CHICAGO (AP) — Cam Fowler notched two goals in his milestone 1,000th NHL appearance, propelling the St. Louis Blues to a 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic held at Wrigley Field on Tuesday.
Justin Faulk contributed a goal and two assists, aiding St. Louis in securing their third win in four games. Jordan Kyrou, Dylan Holloway, and Alexandre Texier also found the back of the net during the game.
The defeat marked the Blackhawks’ fifth consecutive loss, during which they were outscored 27-12. Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi managed to score for Chicago in front of a lively crowd of 40,933 at the iconic home of baseball’s Chicago Cubs, with Petr Mrazek making 22 saves.
St. Louis took the lead early on after Chicago defenseman Louis Crevier was penalized for delay of game just 48 seconds into the first period. Fowler capitalized on the resulting power play to score his second goal since being acquired in a trade with Anaheim on December 14. Faulk extended the lead with a powerful shot from the point at the 7:15 mark of the second period, and Fowler increased the gap to 5-1 with a shot from the blue line with only 2:09 remaining in the period.
In terms of takeaways, Fowler’s performance highlighted him as a valuable addition to the Blues. The 33-year-old defenseman made history as the first player to reach his 1,000th NHL game outdoors and became the first St. Louis player to score in their 1,000th game.
Despite the Winter Classic atmosphere, the Blackhawks struggled with a slow start under interim coach Anders Sorensen, dropping to a 4-8-0 record during his tenure.
A crucial moment in the game came when Jordan Binnington made a remarkable right pad save on a breakaway by Hall in the second period, followed by Holloway scoring his 14th goal to extend St. Louis’ lead to 4-1 with just 6:26 remaining in the period.
The Blues’ victory also added to their impeccable record in outdoor games, now standing at 3-0 with all wins coming in Winter Classic matchups.
Looking ahead, both teams are scheduled to play at home on Friday night, with St. Louis taking on Ottawa and Chicago facing Montreal.
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