ANAHEIM, Calif. — Robert Thomas is back.

With a four-point night during a 6-5 shootout win over the Ducks on Sunday at Honda Center, Thomas busted out of a slump in a big way as the Blues snapped a brief two-game skid.

Jordan Kyrou scored the game-deciding goal for the Blues in the first round of the shootout, and Jordan Binnington stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout.

Thomas had a goal and three assists for his third four-point game of the season, leaving him one point shy of tying a career-high five points set two years ago. Kyrou also had a big game for the Blues with three assists.

Zack Bolduc, Matthew Kessel, Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn scored in addition to Thomas.

Frank Vatrano and Leo Carlsson each scored twice for the Ducks, and Carlsson's second of the game with 3:51 remaining in the third period tied the game at 5.

Thomas had just one point in seven games before assisting on Brandon Saad's goal in Nashville on Thursday and prior to picking up two assists on Saturday in San Jose. Thomas set a new career high with 81 points on the season and became just the second Blue to have more than 80 points in the past 20 years.

Vladimir Tarasenko (82 points in 2021-22) was the other one.

The Blues have four games remaining in the regular season, beginning with Wednesday at home against the Blackhawks.

Getting physical

The Blues turned a 2-2 tie into a 4-2 lead with two goals within 2:14 in the second period. Thomas scored on the power play by ringing a shot off the far post and in the goal, while Buchnevich followed shortly with a one-timer off a cross-seam pass from Kyrou.

With Schenn at the net-front, Thomas wheeled from the boards toward the middle of the ice before releasing a shot. Thomas had not scored since March 17 (also against the Ducks), snapping a nine-game goal drought.

The Blues were on the power play when Tyler Tucker drew a double minor for high-sticking on Ducks forward Ross Johnston as Tucker tracked back into his own zone. As Johnston arrived in the crease, he was greeted by both Nathan Walker and Binnington.

Binnington threw his glove into Johnston's face and nearly connected with a blocker before he was restrained by linesman Travis Toomey. Binnington was levied a minor penalty for roughing, negating half of Johnston's high-sticking penalty.

It was Binnington's fourth penalty of the season. He was fined $5,000 in February for high-sticking Nashville's Luke Evangelista as he circled the net.

Buchnevich scored on the business end of a four-on-three Blues rush after Colton Parayko won a puck behind the Blues goal. Scott Perunovich dropped the puck to Kyrou, who slid a pass to an open Buchnevich.

Buchnevich became the third Blues player with at least 27 goals this season, joining Kyrou and Jake Neighbours. Brandon Saad has 26.

In a flash

Bolduc matched the fastest goal in the NHL this season when he scored 11 seconds into the game on Sunday. It was his third career goal and tied Dallas’ Jamie Benn for the fastest this season across the league.

Bolduc beat Lukas Dostal to the far side on the rush after receiving a pass from Thomas that freed up ice in the left circle. Thomas began the play by winning a faceoff back to Parayko, who later found Thomas in the neutral zone.

The goal was Bolduc’s second in his past five games, and it came in his second game playing on the Blues’ top line. It was also tied for the sixth-fastest goal in Blues history with Noel Acciari’s goal on Nov. 21, 2022, also against the Ducks.

Of the franchise’s 12 fastest goals, four have actually come against the Ducks. There was also Vladimir Tarasenko (12 seconds) in March 2017 and Saad (13 seconds) in November 2021.

This season, the previous fastest goal for the Blues was Alexey Toropchenko’s goal 25 seconds into the game in Montreal on Feb. 11.

First in the NHL

After Anaheim’s Nikita Nesterenko tied the game at 1 at 2:37 of the first period, Kessel scored his first career NHL goal with 7:24 remaining in the period.

Kessel wired a shot past Dostal’s blocker to find the back of the net in his 37th career NHL game. The play began when Torey Krug broke up a play in the Blues zone and fed Schenn with a lead pass in the neutral zone. Schenn touched a pass to Thomas across the blue line, and Thomas found Kessel jumping into the rush through the middle of the ice.

Kessel and Bolduc are the only two Blues this season to score their first career NHL goals. Perunovich and Zach Dean are still looking for their first tallies.

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