Lee Stempniak had two goals and an assist.

October 2, 2008

Lee Stempniak had two goals and an assist. And the St Louis Blues chased Curtis Joseph with six goals on their first 12 shots in a 7-3 preseason victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

I know what Ive got to do, I know where Ive got to go, the 41-year-old Joseph said. Just a bruised ego, thats all. I can get over that.

Andy McDonald of the Blues had a goal and two assists in the first period, giving him 11 points in four preseason games. Brad Boyes scored his fourth goal of the preseason and added an assist, and Chris Mason made 21 saves in a game plagued by skirmishes in the final period.

The McDonald-Stempniak-Boyes line has totaled 29 points in four preseason games for St. Louis, which concludes the preseason on Saturday at Atlanta. The Blues (3-2-1) open the regular season Oct. 10 at home against the Nashville Predators.

I dont know if were amazed, Boyes said. Weve got good chemistry.

Joseph returned to the Maple Leafs with a one-year, free agent contract this summer and made his first start against the Blues. Anton Stralman scored his third goal of the preseason and added an assist for the Maple Leafs (2-3-1), who beat the Blues 4-3 in overtime in Toronto on Monday night.

Normally, you wouldnt in an exhibition game take the goalie out, coach Ron Wilson said. But a lot of shots were going in and I didnt want Cujo to have to suffer through a night if he didnt have it, and he didnt.

Hell recover, hes been through this stuff before.

Yan Stastny got his first goal of the preseason just 11 seconds into the game. Goals by Boyes, Stempniak and rookie T.J. Oshie made it 4-0 before the period was 10 minutes old.

Stempniaks second goal at 2:56 of the second made it 6-1 and that was it for Joseph, Torontos backup behind Vesa Toskala. Rookie Justin Pogge shut out the Blues until David Perron scored his fifth goal of the preseason with 30 seconds to go.

The lopsided loss ended a string of four straight one-goal games for Toronto.