Kings Falls To Blues To Lose 7 Of Their Last 8

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rookie Ryan Reaves put the Blues ahead with his second NHL goal, Jaroslav Halak made 24 saves, and St. Louis snapped a five-game skid with a 3-1 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

B.J. Crombeen and Alexander Steen also scored for St. Louis, which finally won a game in January with a solid defensive effort against the Kings, who have lost seven of eight.

The Blues bounced back solidly from a ramshackle 7-4 loss at Anaheim one night earlier, while Los Angeles dropped to 1-6-0 on its eight-game homestand.

Michal Handzus scored and Jonathan Quick stopped 18 shots for the Kings, who were leapfrogged in the Western Conference standings by St. Louis with their sixth loss in seven meetings with the Blues.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)