Paul Kariya leads Blues to 6-0 win over Linkoping in preseason game

Blues rout Linkoping 6-0 in pre-season game

LINKOPING, Sweden — Paul Kariya scored twice in the second period to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 6-0 victory over Swedish Elite League club Linkoping in a preseason game Tuesday.

David Perron, Carlo Colaiacovo and Swedish stars Patrik Berglund and Alexander Steen also scored for the Blues, who will play the Detroit Red Wings in a two-game season-opening series in Stockholm’s Globe Arena on Friday and Saturday.

The exhibition only drew 4,916 fans.

Perron opened scoring just 1:12 in and Colaicovo made it 2-0 five minutes later.

Berglund, who had 21 goals and 26 assists as a rookie last season, put the Blues ahead for good midway through the second session. Kariya scored within a span of 2:59 late in the period. Steen ended scoring late in the third.

“It was fun to be home and play, but I really expected Linkoping to play better and have a sellout crowd,” Berglund said.

Berglund grew up on the larger European playing surfaces, but had some problems early on.

“It took some time to get adjusted, sometimes I had no idea where my teammates were,” he laughed.

Berglund made a big adjustment last season, making the Blues’ squad as a rookie after playing in “Allsvenskan”, a second-tier minor league below the Swedish Elite League which is regarded as one of Europe’s best.

Linkoping, a team which has been on ice since August, is eighth in the 12-team Swedish Elite League.