Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals in the first period and then had an empty-netter, giving him his first career playoff hat trick, and the host St. Louis Blues defeated the Minnesota Wild, 4-1, on Saturday to even their playoff series at a game apiece.
Tarasenko followed a 4-2 loss in Game 1, in which he had an assist but no shots on goal, with an impressive performance more in line with his play in the regular season. He now has seven goals in nine playoff games.
An unassisted goal by Patrik Berglund gave the Blues a two-goal cushion with 1 minute 58 seconds left.