Tkachuk, Demitra power Blues past Senators

ST. LOUIS -- Pavol Demitra and Keith Tkachuk are becoming a dangerous scoring duo for the St. Louis Blues.

Demitra had two goals and two assists and Tkachuk added a goal and two assists in the Blues' 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

"I think they're pretty smart offensively and they're starting to know each other's habits, where they can leave the puck," St. Louis coach Joel Quenneville said. "Those guys have that instinct offensively."

Demitra, who came to St. Louis after Ottawa traded him in 1996, leads the Blues with 15 goals and is tied for the team lead with Tkachuk with 26 points. At home, Demitra has scored 11 goals and recorded at least one point in 11 of 12 games there this season.

"We feel comfortable with each other and we're getting some goals," Tkachuk said. "That's what we should do. We had a couple of pretty ones tonight. You got to like it."

Ottawa has lost two straight following an 11-game unbeaten streak that was snapped Saturday.

The teams battled back and forth most of the first period before Tkachuk made it 1-0 with 3:34 left. He buried a backhand pass from Demitra for his 12th goal.

"Pavol's playing hard and controlling the puck," Tkachuk said. "That's what we need."

The teams each scored twice in the second period, with Todd White scoring both goals for the Senators.

Ottawa, which took just two shots in the first, scored on its fifth shot at 7:13 of the second period. White scored when he skated in and beat Brent Johnson with a wrist shot from just outside the crease.

"I was looking to pass and it went in," White said.

The Blues regained the lead 2-1 at 11:23 when Demitra scored on the power play after being set up on a nifty pass from Chris Pronger. Demitra got the puck at the side of the net, made a move by prone goalie Patrick Lalime and scored easily into the unprotected goal.

However, the Senators tied it 2-2 when White scored on a rebound of Wade Redden's shot that Johnson couldn't handle at 12:44.

"I got a great feed from Wade, and got it by him (Johnson)," White said.

St. Louis came back with 1:59 left in the period on Demitra's second goal to take a 3-2 lead. Tkachuk passed to Demitra, who was just outside the crease, and slammed the puck past Lalime.

"We made some mistakes defensively and when you play a good team, good players capitalize," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "You cannot make many mistakes against a good team. You can't blame our goaltending for any of the goals. Our turnovers is what cost us."

Rookie Sergei Varlamov, playing on the same line with Demitra and Tkackuk, scored at 11:48 of the third period, giving the Blues a 4-2 lead.

The Senators outshot the Blues 30-23, including 14-7 in the final period.

"Johnson was very good," White said. "He had a lot of rubber on him and he was there for them in the third period."

Notes: St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis missed his fourth consecutive game because of a sore right ankle. MacInnis took a slap shot off the ankle in the third period of a 2-0 loss at Calgary on Nov. 17. ... Ottawa has lost just twice in six games at St. Louis, posting a 3-2-1 record during that stretch. Overall, the Senators are 3-4-1 in St. Louis. ... Ottawa is 2-7-1 when allowing the first goal of a game.