Binnington makes 29 saves, Blues defeat Hurricanes in shootout

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jordan Binnington made 29 saves, and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in the shootout at PNC Arena on Saturday.

"'Binner' was a catalyst for us," St. Louis interim coach Drew Bannister said. "He made some great saves to keep us in the game. It was a dig-in, just to keep it tight and wait for opportunities. That’s a good hockey team, and we found a way to get an extra point."

Nathan Walker scored for the Blues (20-17-1), who have won two in a row. Jake Neighbours and Brayden Schenn scored in the shootout, when Binnington stopped four of five shots. 

"We just talked about (finding) ways to win the tight games," Schenn said. "It’s a confidence booster in our locker room, but we know how hard we’re working. Nothing comes for free. I think we have to realize the rest of the month, and probably the rest of the season, is going to be like this."

Teuvo Teravainen scored for the Hurricanes (22-13-5), who extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1). Antti Raanta made 21 saves.

"The bounces didn't go our way tonight, but overall, I thought it was a solid game," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Especially coming off a tough game last night (a 6-2 win at the Washington Capitals) too. I liked it."

Walker put the Blues ahead 1-0 at 11:04 of the first period when he skated in on a breakaway and shot five-hole.

Teravainen scored a power-play goal with a wrist shot from between the circles to tie the game 1-1 at 13:17 of the first.

"We played a hard game yesterday, traveled here, had a back-to-back," Teravainen said. "I think we had good chances to get more than one goal. We just didn’t get it in."

Binnington made 13 saves in the second period.

"It's fun when you're in a rhythm like that," Binnington said. "[Raanta] played very well, and our team played very well defensively, preventing a lot of good chances and clearing pucks. It was a hard-fought battle, and it’s nice to be winning those games against good teams."

Raanta is 1-0-1 since clearing waivers on Dec. 16 and being assigned to Chicago of the American Hockey League for two games. He made 18 saves in a 5-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 28.

"Since the Montreal game, [the fans] have been fantastic," Raanta said. "You make a kind of normal, easy save, and the whole crowd keeps yelling your name. Big thanks to them."

Schenn is 2-for-3 in shootout attempts this season but has not scored a goal in 16 games or had a point in his last 12.

"When you haven't gotten a point in 12 (games) and you haven’t scored in [16], you don’t try and overthink it," Schenn said. "You go fast and hope for the best. That's what I did."

NOTES: Colton Parayko passed Barclay Plager for fourth among Blues defensemen in games played (615). … Sebastian Aho (three goals, 13 assists) and Andrei Svechnikov (seven goals, seven assists) each had a six-game point streak end. … The Hurricanes are 8-1-4 in their past 13 games. … The game marked the beginning of a six-game homestand for the Hurricanes.