Blues blow by Ducks, as teams celebrate Fowler's 1,000th game

ST. LOUIS – The celebrations started last night for former Anaheim Duck Cam Fowler in recognition of his 1,000th career game, but while the party rolled on for Fowler’s new teammates, his old squad was left flat.

The St. Louis Blues scored three goals before the Ducks even recorded a shot on goal on their way to a 6-2 Anaheim loss on Thursday at Enterprise Center.

Recent San Diego AHL call-ups Nikita Nesterenko and Sam Colangelo scored for the Ducks.

Lukáš Dostál allowed three goals on St. Louis’ first eight shots and ultimately gave up all six Blues goals on 22 shots. John Gibson made 12 saves in 31 minutes of relief.

Fowler, who played his first 991 career games with Anaheim, earned an assist. Fowler has tallied 10 points in his first 13 games with St. Louis.

“Obviously, it’s been a transition for me,” Fowler told reporters in St. Louis this morning. “It’s going to be a unique experience for me lining up on the other side of those guys. I’m going to try to do it with a smile on my face and enjoy it.”

Before the game, Fowler was gifted an engraved Rolex watch by his former Ducks teammates and the customary 1,000-game silver stick by Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek. Fowler skated in his 1,000th NHL game in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Dec. 31.

Fowler and a 2027 fourth-round pick were traded to St. Louis on Dec. 11 for a 2027 second-round pick and a defensive prospect.

“You just have to understand that there’s going to be emotions that come with playing,” Fowler said. “It’s not going to be a normal game, and you have to understand that. At the same time, I want to soak it all in the best I can.”

Robert Thomas scored two goals for St. Louis, and four Blues each scored a goal. Joel Hofer made 22 saves for the Blues (20-19-4, 44 points).

Anaheim (17-19-5, 39 points) continues its six-game road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday.

At the morning skate on Thursday, Blues coach Jim Montgomery said his team was “ready to rock,” and they certainly were come game time with a 3-0 lead in the first seven minutes of the game.

Thomas scored just 2:45 into the game, as the Ducks got scrambled in their own defensive zone trying to clear a rebound. Jacob Trouba’s final clearing attempt was a pass straight to Thomas’ stick, who sent it back to the net in one motion for the lead, 1-0.

Two minutes later, Tyler Tucker sent a point shot around the screen of two Ducks to beat Dostál on the blocker side, 2-0. Two minutes after that, Jordan Kyrou beat Brian Dumoulin to the net to put home a rebound off a Fowler rush attempt for the three-goal lead.

Anaheim registered its first shot on goal with nearly nine minutes left in the first period.

St. Louis got a 4-0 lead, as the Ducks again struggled to clear the puck. Dylan Holloway wristed home the fourth Blues goal.

Nesterenko got the Ducks on the board one minute later deflecting a Jackson LaCombe shot to mercifully end the first period, 4-1. Nesterenko has three career NHL goals, one in each of the last three seasons all against St. Louis.

Thomas put home his own rebound on the rush, beating Frank Vatrano and Dumoulin back to the Ducks net for the 5-1 lead. Three minutes later, Pavel Buchnevich outmuscled Dumoulin to the crease and hooked one around Dostál for a 6-1 advantage.

Later in the second period, Colangelo, who was named an AHL All-Star earlier in the day, finished off a beauty cross-ice feed from Ryan Strome on the rush for the Ducks’ second goal. Strome earned his 300th career assist.

Game Notes

• Anaheim’s leading scorer Troy Terry missed his second straight game due to the birth of his second child. The Ducks announced that Terry’s wife, Dani, and new son, Theo, were “doing fine,” and Theo needed some “extra attention” after birth, requiring Terry to stay in Orange County. Terry holds a six-game point streak with eight points in those games and four goals in four games.

• Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger sat out his second consecutive game, as Pavel Mintyukov stayed in the line-up. It was Zellweger’s fifth healthy scratch in the last seven games after Mintyukov was also a healthy scratch in four of the previous seven games.