ST. LOUIS – Will a beleaguered defense, shorthanded offense and new goaltender coming off nine consecutive playoff losses always add up to a victory?
Probably not, but in this case, the math worked out that way for the Blues.
Despite mounting adversity, St. Louis avoided a daunting deficit to the Wild by persevering to eke out a 5-2 victory on Sunday in front of an announced 18,096 at Enterprise Center, tying the best-of-seven, first-round series at 2-2.
This ensures the Wild will also be returning to St. Louis once more after Game 5, which is Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.
"Maybe a missed opportunity," Wild defenseman Matt Dumba said. "But we've just got to look at Game 5 right now."
The Blues' Jordan Kyrou scored twice and so did David Perron, but St. Louis captain Ryan O'Reilly was the architect on offense with two key assists — including on Kyrou's game-winner — before adding a late insurance goal.
"That's why he's our captain, right?" Kyrou said. "Unbelievable in all aspects."
Down 3-2 but in control, the Wild saw a comeback attempt nixed when Perron dumped the puck into an empty net with 1 minute, 58 seconds to go. O'Reilly punctuated the scoring by capitalizing on the power play with a minute left.