NHL: David Perron scores hat trick in Blues' win over Kings - Los Angeles Times
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Kings can’t keep pace with David Perron and Blues in 7-3 loss

St. Louis Blues forward David Perron celebrates after scoring against the Kings.
St. Louis forward David Perron (57) celebrates after scoring against the Kings in the second period Saturday.
(Scott Kane / Associated Press)
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David Perron had three goals and an assist, Jake Neighbours scored his first NHL goal, and the St. Louis Blues beat the Kings 7-3 on Saturday night.

Ivan Barbashev, Ryan O’Reilly and James Neal also scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington made 32 saves as St. Louis won its fourth straight game to open a season for the third time in franchise history.

Perron’s sixth career hat trick gave him five goals in his last two games.

Alex Iafallo, Dustin Brown and Carl Grundstrom scored for the Kings, who lost their fourth straight. Cal Petersen made 33 saves.

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Drew Doughty has to be helped off the ice after making knee-to-knee contact with Dallas Stars rookie Jari Hakanpaa in the Kings’ 3-2 overtime loss.

Iafallo’s first goal of the season, off a rebound from an Alexander Edler shot, gave the Kings a 1-0 lead with 8:31 left in the first period.

Iafallo almost had another goal late in the first, but Binnington got his right pad on a backhander on a partial breakaway.

Perron evened the game with a power-play goal with 5:34 left in the first.

Barbashev made it 2-1, scoring the Blues’ first short-handed goal of the season with 1:13 left in the first. Marco Scandella started the play by forcing a turnover at center ice, leading to Barbashev’s breakaway.

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Perron’s second of the game came off a deflection of a shot by Torey Krug 45 seconds into the second period.

Neighbours made it 4-1 a couple of minutes later, burying a perfect feed from Brayden Schenn.

O’Reilly’s power-play goal gave St. Louis three goals on its first six shots of the second period. Neal scored another power-play goal, his first as a member of the Blues, in the third.

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Perron completed the hat trick by burying a one-timer on the power play in the third.

Brown and Grundstrom scored third-period goals for the Kings. Anze Kopitar’s four-game goal scoring streak was snapped.

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