Binnington makes 18 saves, Blues shut out Capitals

ST. LOUIS -- Jordan Binnington made 18 saves for the St. Louis Blues in a 3-0 win against the Washington Capitals at Enterprise Center on Saturday.

"That was just a tremendous effort, top to bottom," Binnington said after his 14th NHL shutout, second this season. "We really bought in and we played the right way. We were successful. We understand here that what we're here for is to win and win hockey games, get points and make playoffs. Tonight is a great example of how we need to play. Just a smooth night."

Colton Parayko, Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours scored for the Blues (22-20-2), who had lost three straight, including 5-2 to the Capitals on Thursday. Robert Thomas had two assists.

"Obviously as a group, we weren't happy with our effort over the last two games," St. Louis coach Drew Bannister said. "Tonight, it was a complete game. As far as I've been here, that's our most complete game from top down, our forwards, our defense, our goaltending, power play, PK. Guys played hard. They played the right way. Now the challenge is to continue to build on that and have consistency with that type of game."

Charlie Lindgren made 26 saves for the Capitals (22-16-6), who had won two straight.

"We just weren’t crisp at all, really, for any of the 60 minutes," Washington forward T.J. Oshie said. "We had one power play where we were working it around pretty good and had about three Grade-A's, and you pop one of those, maybe it’s a little bit different.

"We knew they were going to come out hard, and we didn’t respond."

Parayko scored short-handed to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period, skating the length of the ice and beating Lindgren with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle off a 2-on-1 with Thomas.

"Puck coming through the middle, just trying to get a stick on it and then saw a little room so I decided to take it," Parayko said. "I didn't know 'Tommer' was coming, but I think they had a guy coming back and I wasn't moving too fast out there so I think he caught us. So, I just slowly cut it in and thought I could shoot."

Schenn's one-timer from the right circle on a delayed penalty made it 2-0 at 7:44 of the second period after working the puck around the perimeter with Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Faulk.

"Good patience there by 'Buchy,' good pass by 'Faulker,'" Schenn said. "I had a couple, in the past couple games, a couple one-timers from that side that I really didn't like and wasn't really able to get a hold of, but I felt like I got a hold of that one and I was able to beat Lindgren."

Neighbours made it 3-0 with a power-play goal at 15:51 of the third when he redirected Thomas’ wrist shot from the left point past Lindgren.

"I’d say it almost felt like they flipped the script on us tonight," Lindgren said of the Blues. "It wasn’t our best start tonight.

"We knew it would be tough here. It’s a tough place to play. We all know that we can be better."

NOTES: The short-handed goal was Parayko's first in the NHL. ... Capitals defenseman Joel Edmundson returned after missing one game with an upper-body injury, and forward Beck Malenstyn also returned after missing one game for personal reasons. ... St. Louis honored three inductees into the 2024 class of the Blues Hall of Fame: goalie Mike Liut, forward Keith Tkachuk and the late Pavol Demitra, who was represented by his wife and two children.