a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Or

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Blues centre T.J. Oshie knew exactly what to do with the puck that completed his first three-goal game in the NHL. That souvenir now belongs to his 10-day old daughter, Lyla Grace, who was born on March 17. "Its definitely going to her," he said. Oshies hat trick and a 27-save performance by Ryan Miller led the Blues to a 5-1 rout over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. St. Louis has won three in a row overall and nine straight against the Wild. The Blues lead the NHL with 107 points. Jaden Schwartz and Brenden Morrow also scored for St. Louis, which has points in its last 10 home games. Miller improved to 9-2-1 since being acquired from Buffalo on Feb. 28. He has a 2.03 goals against average and a .918 save percentage with the Blues. Zach Parise scored for the Wild, who had earned points in their previous three road games but have lost six of eight overall. Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves but fell to 12-8-4. He has won just twice in nine starts. Oshie, who has a career-high 21 goals, scored twice in the first period -- including a short-handed goal with 26 seconds left that made it 2-0. He converted from the slot at 4:43 and then beat Kuemper on a breakaway for the Blues fifth short-handed goal of the season. Oshie tipped in a shot from Jay Bouwmeester at 7:18 of the third period to complete the hat trick. "This has been an exciting couple of months for me," said Oshie, who played for the United States in the Olympics, "but she trumps everything for me." The modest Oshie refused to take credit for his big night. "The pucks just happened to go off my stick," he said. But linemates David Backes and Alexander Steen were happy to heap praise on Oshie. "Hes been a horse for us all year," Backes said. "He strung a couple of great shots together and a tip on the last one. "I couldnt be happier for him." The Blues posted a hat trick for the second straight game as Backes scored three times in a 5-3 win at Toronto on Tuesday. That was the first time St. Louis recorded back-to-back three-goal games since Dec. 20-23, 2000, when Pavol Demitra and Michal Handzus accomplished the feat. The Blues lead the Western Conference and are battling Boston for the Presidents Trophy for the top mark in the NHL. They are one point ahead of the Bruins with nine games remaining for both teams. "We wanted to make a statement to the league that we deserve to be where were at," Oshie said. "We want that target on our backs." St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock believes his club is peaking at the right time. "Were not going to be overwhelmed because were the favourites in a playoff series," he said. "Were going to embrace it." Even Minnesota coach Mike Yeo was impressed with the Blues. "Theyve got a great team" he said. "They smelled blood and they went after it. "This was a team loss." Miller made nine saves in the first 6:07 before coasting to the win. "We got settled into our 5-on-5 game and really limited the puck possession by the other team," he said. "This was a big step forward." Schwartz netted his 23rd goal of the season on a power play midway through the second period to make it 3-0. The Wild lost for the second time in two nights after dropping a 5-3 decision to Vancouver on Wednesday. "I dont think anyone can really be happy," Kuemper said. "Weve got to turn this thing around." St. Louis has killed 23 straight power plays against Minnesota over six games. NOTES: Steve Cash and Josh Pauls, members of the USAs gold-medal winning Paralympic hockey team, were honoured before the game. ... Minnesota began a four-game trip that also has stops at Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago. ... The Blues are shooting for their first Presidents Trophy since the 1999-2000 season. ... Minnesota LW Dany Heatley has gone a season-high 13 games without a goal. ... Wild RW Jason Pominville led all players with seven shots on goal. Arian Foster Jersey . The Professional Referee Organization, which manages game officials for the U.S. Soccer Federation and MLS, notified the Professional Soccer Referee Association of the lockout and said replacement officials will be used. Justin Reid Jersey . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Justin-Reid-Jersey/ .2 million deal for the upcoming season with right-hander Garrett Richards.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the announcement hadnt been made. Lonnie Johnson Womens Jersey . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Lonnie Johnson Jersey . -- James Harden scored 31 points, including 25 in the second half, and the Houston Rockets dug out of a double-digit, first-half hole to beat the Orlando Magic 101-89 on Wednesday night.SAGINAW -- Media reports say a Canadian junior hockey player whose body was found in Michigan this week died from asphyxiation, which police believe to have been self-inflicted. The reports say autopsy results for Terry Trafford, 20, were released Thursday -- two days after the missing athlete was found in an SUV in the parking lot of a Walmart store in Saginaw Township. Trafford, who played for the Saginaw Spirit, had last been seen about 9:30 a.m. on March 3 at the Dow Event Center, the teams hoome arena.dddddddddddd At one point in the search, police said they believed Trafford, a centre with the Spirit, might have left the state to return to his hometown of Toronto. His girlfriend previously told The Saginaw News that he was devastated after the team sent him home "for partying on a road trip." The Ontario Hockey League postponed the Spirits game on Wednesday so the team could mourn his death. The team will resume its season Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. ' ' '