ST. LOUIS - Pat Maroon had given the St. Louis Blues a spark the last time they faced the Nashville Predators when he fought Austin Watson two seconds into the game.
St. Louis won big that day, snapping a five-game losing streak to Nashville, so Maroon didn't hesitate to try to see history repeat itself when the Predators' Cody McLeod challenged him two minutes into Saturday's meeting.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 19th goal of the season after Maroon's fight gave the Blues a lift, rookie Jordan Binnington made 28 saves and the Blues beat the Predators 3-2, extending their season-best winning streak to five games.
"Always when somebody throws the gloves it's nice," Tarasenko said. "But it's a tough fight, and Patty heated us up."
Vince Dunn and Mackenzie MacEachern also scored for the Blues, who have gone 11-4-1 in their past 16 games and occupy the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
"Every line is chipping in at the right time," Maroon said. "All four lines are rolling, and you can see why. Our defense is playing great, and we're getting timely saves at the right time, and we're scoring, and we're going to the net and doing the little things that make this team a good hockey team."
Binnington has started all five games during the streak and improved to 9-1-1 in his NHL career.
"He's playing great," Blues interim coach Craig Berube said. "Every night he gives us a chance to win. I've said that a number of times, but that is the truth. He's aggressive and challenges and he's standing tall."
Pekka Rinne stopped 30 of 33 shots for Nashville, which had won five of six. The teams meet again today in Nashville.
"Pekka kept us in that game, but our first 40 minutes were just not good enough," Predators center Ryan Johansen said. "The good thing is we are right back at it tomorrow against the same team, and the work we brought in the third period is what we need tomorrow for the whole game."
Dunn scored his seventh goal of the season 2 1/2 minutes after Maroon's clash with McLeod when he roofed a rebound over Rinne 4:37 into the game. Tarasenko made it 2-0 when he one-timed a pass from Brayden Schenn past Rinne with 1:15 left in the first.
Nashville's Mattias Ekholm scored his seventh goal of the season when his shot bounced off Binnington's glove to cut the St. Louis lead to 2-1 in the second period. It was just the second power-play goal by the Predators in their past 12 games.
With Rinne pulled for an extra attacker late in the third period, Nashville pulled within one again when Johansen swatted Filip Forsberg's rebound out of the air for his 11th goal of the season. MacEachern answered with his second career goal when he poked a rebound past Rinne to restore St. Louis' two-goal lead.