NHL Playoffs Roundup; Blues on Verge of Ousting Cup Champs

(AP) — St. Louis needs one more win to knock off the defending Stanley Cup champs in the first round.

Brian Elliott stopped 39 shots and Vladimir Tarasenko had three points as the Blues downed Chicago 4-3. The game was tied 2-2 until Tarasenko set up a power-play goal by Jaden Schwartz 1:36 into the third period to put St. Louis ahead to stay.

Alex Steen added the eventual game-winner, just over three minutes after Schwartz scored.

Duncan Keith's second goal of the night got the Blackhawks within 4-3 before they moved within one game of elimination.

Game 5 is slated for Thursday in St. Louis.

Anaheim finally put one in the win column after dropping two straight at home, earning a 3-0 shutout of the Predators in Nashville. Frederik Andersen handled 27 shots in his second career playoff shutout. Andersen was named the starter after John Gibson dropped the first two games.

Jamie McGinn put the Ducks ahead midway through the first period nefore Rickard Rakell and Christ Stewart tallied in the final 8:27.

The series stays in Nashville for Game 4 on Thursday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had Matt Murray back in goal for Game 3 of their first-round series, but they didn't give him much to do.

The Pens allowed just 17 shots and scored the last three goals in a 3-1 triumph over the Rangers in New York. Murray and the Penguins took a two-games-to-one lead in the series by blanking the Rangers after Rick Nash scored a short-handed goal just 39 seconds into the game.

Murray was in action after missing the first two games of the series due to an injury.

Matt Cullen scored 4:16 into the third period to break a 1-1 tie. Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang  also scored against Henrik Lundqvist, who finished with 28 saves.

Game 4 is Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

The Lightning will carry a 3-1 series lead back to Tampa Bay after knocking off the Red Wings in Detroit. Nikita Kucherov scored twice and Ondrej Palat  broke a 2-2 deadlock by netting a power-play goal with 2:59 remaining in the Bolts' 3-2 victory against the Wings.

Kucherov's fourth and fifth goals of the series put the Lightning ahead 2-0, but the Red Wings tied it on goals by Darren Helm and Gustav Nyquist late in the second period.

Ben Bishop stopped 26 shots for the Lightning, who can wrap up the series on Thursday.