est comeback in playoff history. [url=http://www.waterbo

ST. LOUIS - Vladimir Sobotka needed just a couple shifts to return to top form Thursday night. Back after missed the previous 12 games because of a left knee injury, Sobotka had a goal and two assists to help the NHL-leading St. Louis Blues beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Thursday night. "I just kept it simple," Sobotka said after the fifth three-point game of his career. "It was about timing. As the game went along, I got a little faster and a little stronger." St. Louis has won six of seven overall and eight of nine against Edmonton. Alex Pietrangelo started a four-goal third period and Jaden Schwartz added two goals for the Blues, who outscored Edmonton 17-4 in sweeping the three-game season series. Pietrangelo, Schwartz and T.J. Oshie scored in 7:14 span at the outset of the third period to break a 2-2 tie, and Schwartz added his second goal of the period at 12:56. Ryan Miller made 23 saves to improve to 5-0-1 since joining the Blues in a trade with Buffalo on Feb. 28. Hes 7-0 against Edmonton. Sobotka scored late in the first period and then set up the winning goal 42 seconds into the third period. He stole the puck from Andrew Ference in the corner and found Pietrangelo wide open in the slot for a 3-2 lead. "We knew he was going to bring some energy and some bite back into our lineup," Pietrangelo said. "Whether he felt his best or not, it certainly looked like he didnt miss a beat. We kind of needed a little extra jump and he seems to have brought it." Pietrangelo felt he had to capitalize on Sobotkas hard work in the corner "It was a great pass, Id better bury it," Pietrangelo said. Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for St. Louis, and Oshie added two assists. Miller has stopped 134 of 145 shots in six games with St. Louis and has yet to lose in regulation. He has a 1.82 goals-against-average and .924 save percentage with the Blues. David Perron and Mark Fraser scored for Edmonton. Perron spent six seasons in St. Louis and leads the Oilers with 25 goals. Edmonton tied it at 2 late in the second period on Frasers shot from close range. The Blues then took over with a near-perfect third period. "We played with tempo and we played with speed in the neutral zone," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We were really effective. We put a lot of pressure on people." St. Louis outshot Edmonton 14-11 over the final 20 minutes, peppering goalie Ben Scrivens from start to finish. "They capitalized on their scoring chances," Scrivens said. "But I needed to make more saves than I did." The Oilers appeared to have gained the momentum with Frasers tying goal. "I dont care how good they are, we were able to play with them for two periods," Edmonton coach Dallas Eakins said. "We certainly should be able to do it for another 20 more minutes." Notes: St. Louis D Barret Jackman left the game briefly late in the second period after colliding with Jesse Joensuu. Jackman returned for the third period. ...The Oilers have used six goalies this season. ... Ten of the Blues last 13 games have been decided by one goal. ... Edmonton C Sam Gagner had a five-game points streak snapped. ... The Oilers are 7-2-3 in their last 12 games, their best stretch since going 8-3 at the start of the 2011-12 season. ... Oshies two assists give him a career-high 36 this season. Swell Black Friday . The Mets made the announcement Sunday night. Parnell blew a save on opening day against Washington and the next day it was revealed he had partially torn right elbow ligament. Hydro Flask Black Friday Sale .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. http://www.waterbottleblackfriday.com/. Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major. Hydro Flask Black Friday . -- LeGarrette Blount wasnt satisfied with three short touchdown runs, not against a team coming off the second greatest comeback in playoff history. Swell Black Friday Sale . -- League scoring leader Anthony Mantha had two goals and two assists to lead the Val-dOr Foreurs over the Blainville-Boisbriand Phoenix 6-3 on Wednesay in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play on Wednesday.ALTA BADIA, Italy - Ted Ligety needs some training.A lot of it.And some snow would help, too.Struggling with a broken wrist and without the training volume he normally relies on, the Olympic champion was beaten soundly by Austrian rival Marcel Hirscher again in an unusually bumpy World Cup giant slalom race Sunday.Hirscher led after the opening run then extended his gap in the second leg to finish a whopping 1.45 seconds ahead of Ligety for his third consecutive victory in the technical events of GS and slalom. Thomas Fanara of France placed third, 1.48 back, for his third podium result on the Gran Risa course.Ligety, who normally dominates the GS events and has won this race twice, attributed his recent struggles to a lack of training. Thats partly due to the week he lost from his injury but mostly due to a lack of snow everywhere from Chile to Colorado to the Alps.Im a guy that likes a lot of skiing. I like to take 10 runs a day and ski a bunch of days. Whereas some guys dont like that kind of volume, said the American, who has won only one race this season. I get confidence out of skiing that kind of volume. Hopefully it snows somewhere or they can make snow somewhere and I get some training in.With little snow cover — all of it artificial — and green grass lining both sides of the steep and twisty Gran Risa, the bumps played a much bigger role than usual.It was definitely one of the toughest races this season. It was like mogul skiing or motocross skiing, said Hirscher, the three-time defending overall champion from Austria. But were not searching for easy races. Were searching for challenges.Usually at this time of year, the Gran Risa has a smoothly groomed and icy surface that allows Ligety to perform his high-arcing, rhythmic turns to perfection — like when he won the first run by an almost unheard of 2.40 seconds two yyears ago.ddddddddddddNormally its like a carpet here — super smooth — and now its super rattley, Ligety said.Standing only seventh after the opening run, a distant 1.33 behind, Ligety had to alter his tactics for the second leg.Second run I just tried to go and, whether it felt horrible or not, just try to follow the fall line more, said Ligety, who is competing with four screws inserted into his left hand after breaking his wrist in a training accident last month. Whereas first run I was trying to be smooth and the snow wasnt letting me do it. I just kind of went with it more.It was Hirschers third career victory on the Gran Risa, having also won this race last year plus a slalom in 2011. Italian great Alberto Tomba holds the record of four wins on the Gran Risa.If you ski too lazy and not in an aggressive style you have no chance to fight against the Gran Risa, Hirscher said. I gave 100 per cent.Toronto native Trevor Philp finished 19th.In the overall, Hirscher moved within 70 points of leader Kjetil Jansrud, who finished 14th after winning a super-G in Val Gardena a day earlier.In the GS standings, Hirscher holds a 74-point lead over Ligety.Ligetys only win this season came when he stormed back from fourth after the opening run in a GS in Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month.I definitely have to try to figure out how to ski with a little more confidence in the first runs, he said. Thats been one of my strengths the last couple of years.Perhaps, Ligety was asked, he is struggling for motivation after so many seasons at the top of GS. After all, hes won the season-long World Cup title in GS five of the last seven seasons and took gold at the Sochi Olympics in February.I have no problem whatsoever for motivation, he said. Thats not an issue for me at all.___Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf ' ' '