Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice as the St. Louis Blues opened their season with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday.

Pavel Buchnevich, Ivan Barbashev and Jake Neighbours also scored for the Blues and goaltender Jordan Binnington made 23 saves.

Gustav Nyquist and Sean Kuraly scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost three consecutive games to start their season.

Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 20 saves in his first start of the season after recovering from illness.

The Blues managed to get just four shots on goal during the first period, but they capitalized on a power play to take a 1-0 lead 5:05 into the game. Torey Krug set up Buchnevich's one-time blast from the right faceoff dot with a pass from the left point.

Just 64 seconds into the second period, the Blues took a 2-0 lead after Robert Thomas forced a Blue Jackets turnover in the Columbus zone. Thomas fed Justin Faulk, who cut to the slot and set up Tarasenko's goal from the right circle.

But shortly thereafter the Blue Jackets tied the game 2-2 by scoring goals 18 seconds apart. First, Johnny Gaudreau's partially blocked shot bounced to Nyquist for a tap-in goal.

Then Kuraly broke in from the left wing to beat Binnington with a short-side shot.

The Blues mustered a flurry late in the second period, but Merzlikins fended off point-blank shots from Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn to keep the game tied.

During a 20-second span midway through the third period, the Blues scored twice to take a 4-2 lead.

Barbashev converted a 4-on-2 break by snapping a shot from the slot off Schenn's pass, and Neighbours zig-zagged down the middle of the Columbus zone to beat Merzlikins.

Tarasenko finished the scoring with 1:31 left by stealing the puck high in the Columbus zone and scoring from the high slot.

--Field Level Media