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Wednesday, Mar. 15 10:00pm ET
Blues tie record for road wins

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PHOENIX (AP) -- The St. Louis Blues are nearing the 100-point mark but are focusing less on what's ahead than who's behind them.

Chris Pronger scored two power-play goals and the Blues beat the Phoenix Coyotes 5-3 Wednesday night, matching a franchise mark for road victories.


	St. Louis' Scott Pellerin catches Phoenix's Lyle Odelein in the face with his stick. No penalty was called on the play, although Pellerin later drew a double-minor for spearing in the third period.

The Blues also moved four points ahead of idle Detroit for the Central Division lead.

"We're going to have a challenge ahead to stay ahead of Detroit," Blues coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had the game in control then made it interesting there at the end."

Pascal Rheaume, Dave Ellett and Scott Young also scored for St. Louis, which won for the 11th time in 13 road games (11-1-1) to improve its NHL-best road record to 23-9-3.

The Blues equaled the team record for road victories set by the 1990-91 club and are one point away from setting the franchise mark for road points.

Roman Turek, 19-4-4 in his last 27 games, made 28 saves and ran his scoreless streak against the Coyotes to 180 minutes, one second before Keith Carney scored at 2:50 of the third period.

Shane Doan and Greg Adams also scored for the Coyotes, who lost their second straight and fell 11 points behind Pacific Division-leading Dallas with 12 games remaining. Phoenix is two points ahead of Edmonton for sixth place in the Western Conference. "If you want to play in this league you hate to lose," Doan said. "Right now, we seem to be doing more of that than we are winning."

Rheaume, recalled from Worcester of the AHL on Tuesday, took advantage of a mental mistake by Phoenix goalie Sean Burke to score his first regular-season goal since Feb. 28, 1999.

Burke went behind his net to play the puck after it was dumped into the zone by the Blues. As he debated whether to pass the puck out front or give it to a teammate standing by his side, Jochen Hecht skated in from behind and poked the puck to Rheaume, who scored into the vacated net.

Though the Blues entered the locker room with the lead, Pronger said his teammates were disappointed with the 14 shots on goal they allowed.

"We had the lead 1-0 but I don't think anyone came into the locker room too pumped or excited about the way we were playing," Pronger said.

St. Louis held Phoenix to two shots on goal in the second period and killed off a double-minor high-sticking penalty to Mike Eastwood without allowing a shot.

"That changed the whole momentum of the game," Adams said. "We had a strong first period and in the second period we weren't as sharp. It takes momentum out of the whole team when the power play's not working."

Ellett made it 2-0 at 17:34 of the second, taking a back-handed pass from Pavel Demitra and flipping the puck over Burke's shoulder for his second goal, and first since Feb. 3.

"The second period was our period," Turek said.

Pronger extended the Blues' lead to 3-0 with a blast between Burke's pads from the top of the left faceoff circle 41 seconds into the third.

"We didn't execute extremely well and they came back and scored a backbreaker," Phoenix coach Bob Francis said.

The Blues are 40-0 this season when they score three or more goals and have won 51 straight going back to last season.

Carney pulled the Coyotes within two when he gathered in a long rebound in the middle of the left faceoff circle and beat Turek with a wrist shot.

Pronger and Young scored 31 seconds apart midway through the final period to give St. Louis a 5-1 lead.

Doan batted a loose puck near his waist past Turek at 9:51 to cut the lead to 5-2. Referee Lance Roberts determined, after viewing a replay, that Doan did not hit the puck with a high stick.

Burke was then pulled for Bob Essensa.

Adams added a power-play goal with 1:30 remaining, tucking the puck behind Turek from behind the net as the goalie moved out of the crease.

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