ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Not even some inside information from Olympic teammate Zach Parise could stop T.J. Oshie in a shootout.
Oshie -- a former player for the Sioux Falls Stampede -- and Alexander Steen scored shootout goals and the St. Louis Blues took over the top spot in the NHL standings with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.
In his first shootout since his memorable Olympic performance against Russia, Oshie beat Ilya Bryzgalov -- a Russian who wasn't on the team that lost to Oshie and Team USA in Sochi- over his shoulder in the first round. Steen sealed the win in the following round after the Blues' Brian Elliott turned away Parise and Mikko Koivu.
"I think I was talking to Zach about that move tonight over in Sochi and he might have told Bryz what it was," Oshie said about his backhand-to-forehand move. "It seemed like he had me and I got a little lucky. It must've just squeaked inside the post. I got a little fortunate on that one, but I'll keep taking them."
Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo scored on the second and third shots of the game for St. Louis. It was Colaiacovo's first goal since Feb. 11, 2012, a span of 42 games.
"You know, pretty much I almost had it. I don't know how he raised it over the shoulder," he said. "I thought there was no way to go for him. I was completely surprised he scored on that one."
"When I see Osh going in on a shootout, I kind of giggle," Blues center David Backes said. "I told him afterward that the goalies are starting to play like soccer goalies because they're just guessing left or right. He's got moves left, got moves right, got moves straight ahead. It's pretty special to watch and I've seen it a lot."
The Blues have won 16 in a row against the Central Division and are now 18-0-1 in division play. They've beaten Minnesota eight straight times, outscoring the Wild 25-10.
There's still a ways to go, but both teams could end up facing each other in the opening round of the playoffs.