Vladimir Tarasenko hat trick helps Blues take 3-2 series lead on Wild

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Vladimir Tarasenko broke out for the St. Louis Blues with a well-timed natural hat trick, putting the Minnesota Wild in real trouble.

Afterward, Tarasenko tried to shrug off the significance of his feat — with the singular focus of a player who was a major part of the run to the Stanley Cup championship three years ago.

Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to pry open a tied game and series, and the Blues pushed the Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

"It’s not the time to think about any achievements. The biggest thing is we won the game, and let's move onto the next one," said Tarasenko, who scored once in the first four games. "At this point, from experience in 2019, we learned that only wins matter."

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St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (50) and St. Louis Blues' Vladimir Tarasenko celebrate the Blues' 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in St. Paul, Minn. Tarasenko scored three goals Lin the game.  (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Ryan O'Reilly scored for the fourth time in the series and Brandon Saad got the tying goal late in the second period as the Blues upstaged a stellar performance by Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. Whatever rivalry exists between the two Russians, Tarasenko wasn't having any part of that, either.

Kaprizov brought the building to life on yet another late-night start — puck drop was at 8:50 p.m. local time — by scoring twice on Minnesota's previously sluggish power play in the first period. Kaprizov has an NHL-leading seven goals in the