WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

02/28 18:50 CST Markstrom makes 25 saves, Devils beat Blues 3-1 to end 5-game skid Markstrom makes 25 saves, Devils beat Blues 3-1 to end 5-game skid By WARREN MAYES Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) --- Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves, Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton had second-period goals and the New Jersey Devils beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Saturday to end a five-game losing streak. Markstrom lost his shutout bid with 1:18 left when Pavel Buchnevich scored with goalie Jordan Binnington off for an extra attacker. Nico Hischier scored into an empty net in the final seconds. Binnington made 30 saves in his first game since backstopping Canada to the Olympic final. Meier scored his 16th goal of the season at 5:37 of the second, firing in a wrist shot from the right circle. He has three goals in his last six NHL games. For Switzerland in the Olympics, Meier had three goals and four assists in five games. Hamilton struck on a power with 16 seconds left in the second. He fired in a snap shot from the slot, with U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes picking up his 27th assist. Hughes beat Binnington in overtime in Milan to give the Americans the title. Hughes picked up his first penalty of the season. It was a delay-of-game call after he sent the puck over the glass early in the third period.

Up next Devils: Host Florida on Tuesday night. Blues: At Minnesota on Sunday night. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl