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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Colton Orr, right, fights with St. Louis Blues’ Cam Janssen in the second period on Friday in St. Louis. (Tom Gannam/Associated Press)

Chris Mason made the difference in the NHL’s worst home team’s victory over the league’s worst road club.

Mason made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season, and T.J. Oshie and Alexander Steen scored small-handed goals in the second period to help the St. Louis Blues beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 on Friday night.

“We were lucky our penalty kill was playing pretty well tonight,” Oshie said. “We were playing in their end a small bit. We were fortunate to get those two goals, two hardworking goals.”

Mason meanwhile was quick to give credit for the shutout to his teammates.

“For the most part, we did a pretty excellent job of clearing the shooting lanes,” Mason said. “Just seeing the puck pretty excellent.”

Andy McDonald and B.J. Crombeen also scored.

Coming off a shootout win over Detroit on Tuesday night, the Blues won consecutive games at home for the first time since Jan. 14-16.

St. Louis improved its home record to 11-16-5, still the worst in the NHL, while Toronto lost for the sixth straight time on the road to drop to 8-18-6 away from home, the league’s worst road record. The Maple Leafs are 2-13-2 on the road since Dec. 5 and were playing in their last game before the Olympic break.

“Maybe our minds weren’t where they should be,” Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. “This is our last game. I thought we made some terrible mistakes. We made it pretty simple for them. They just played better than us. We didn’t play very well.”

McDonald opened the scoring with 5:38 remaining in the first period. On a 3-on-1 break, Erik Johnson’s initial shot was stopped by Jean-Sebastian Giguere, but Patrik Berglund grabbed the loose rebound and fed McDonald alone by the right post. McDonald jammed the puck past Giguere for his 19th goal of the season.

“We’ve got to work hard every night,” Rickard Wallin said. “They won more battles than we did especially in the second period. That’s where the game kind of slipped away from us.”

Mason faced his largest challenges in the third period when Toronto peppered him with 15 shots, but he stopped them all for his 20th career shutout.

St. Louis made it 2-0 at 9:07 of the second period. With David Perron in the penalty box for interference, David Backes intercepted a Toronto pass in the Maple Leafs’ zone and tried to score on a wraparound. Giguere made the initial save, but the rebound came straight out to Oshie for his 12th of the season.

The Blues got their second small-handed goal of the period when Steen scored an unassisted goal, his 15th of the season. The former Toronto player circled behind the net and backhanded a shot through Giguere’s pads.

“Obviously [Oshie] capitalized on one,” Backes said. “And Alex Steen did a fantastic job on winning two or three behind the net and comes around and stuffs one in their net.”

St. Louis hadn’t scored two small-handed goals in a game since Jan. 16, 2007, when it beat Anaheim 6-2.

Cheers rocked BC Place Stadium as flag-bearer Clara Hughes’ bright smile led the Canadian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on Friday night.

Canada’s Governor General, prime minister, and 60,000 fans who packed the arena all rose to celebrate the host nation.

Clara Hughes carries the Canadian flag to lead the contingent of athletes at BC Place. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

And perhaps, the sombre spirit of the Olympics rose, too.

The colourful ceremony was staged against a backdrop of tragedy. Hours earlier, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a horrible training accident at Whistler.

Wearing black hats, scarves and armbands, the seven grieving athletes of the Georgian Olympic team marched in to a standing ovation.

They were led by downhill skier Iason Abramashvili, who carried a black-trimmed flag.

The opening ceremony welcoming about 2,500 athletes representing 82 nations — was dedicated to Kumaritashvili.

Jumping through rings

The celebration opened with a snowboarder jumping through Olympic rings at the stadium.

“Welcome to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games,” the snowboarder announced to a cheering crowd.

With dignitaries including Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge looking on, native dancers in traditional garb sang and danced as the athletes paraded into the arena.

As usual, Greece, led the way with athletes waving their blue and white stripes proudly, honoured as the inaugural Olympic hosts.

The Olympic rings are seen during Friday night’s opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Albania, Algeria, Andorra followed — and the parade continued.

A solitary athlete from Colombia carried his nation’s flag to its first Winter Olympics. Later, Ethiopia’s four athletes waved the red, yellow, and green flag ahead of Finland.

Cultural celebration

A breathtaking celebration of Canadian culture followed the athletes’ march. The performance traced Canada’s history, culture, and landscape.

The floor of BC Place was transformed into a sea, with orca whales drifting lazily, their image reflected off the roof.

Nelly Furtado and Brian Adams shared a duet, and Sarah Mclaughlin followed playing the piano and singing Ordinary Miracles.

Ashley MacIsaac led a group of fiddlers, as river dancers twisted and turned around a stage adorned with giant maple leaves.

The prairies were celebrated through the eyes of a young girl. Suspended from above, she drifted above the image of wind-blown wheat. It rippled as she dipped down and sailed across it, to strains of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. The image of blue horses galloped across the floor.

Rogge and VANOC chief John Furlong, both wearing black ties of mourning, welcomed the athletes.

Furlong called the competitors as “heroes,” “giants,” and “human champions” — adding a special tribute to Kumaritashvili.

“At these Games you now have the added burden to shine and be united around your fallen colleague Nodar,” he said. “May you carry his Olympic dream on your shoulders, and compete with his spirit in your heart.”

After Jean officially proclaimed the Games open, and k.d. lang sang Hallelujah, the Olympic flag was carried in by eight Canadian luminaries:

• astronaut Julie Payette.
• actor Donald Sutherland.
• singer Anne Murray.
• former figure skater Barbara Ann Scott.
• Senator Romeo Dallaire.
• hockey legend Bobby Orr.
• auto racer Jacques Villeneuve.
• Betty Fox, mother of Terry Fox.

Cheers rocked BC Place Stadium as flag-bearer Clara Hughes’ bright smile led the Canadian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver on Friday night.

Canada’s Governor General, prime minister, and 60,000 fans who packed the arena — all rose to celebrate the host nation.

Clara Hughes carries the Canadian flag to lead the contingent of athletes at BC Place. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

And perhaps, the sombre spirit of the Olympics rose, too.

The colourful ceremony was staged against a backdrop of tragedy. Hours earlier, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a horrible training accident at Whistler.

Wearing black hats, scarves and armbands, the seven grieving athletes of the Georgian Olympic team marched in to a standing ovation.

They were led by downhill skier Iason Abramashvili, who carried a black-trimmed flag.

The opening ceremony welcoming about 2,500 athletes representing 82 nations — was dedicated to Kumaritashvili.

Jumping through rings

The celebration opened with a snowboarder jumping through Olympic rings at BC Place Stadium.

“Welcome to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games,” the snowboarder announced to a cheering crowd.

With dignitaries including Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge looking on, native dancers in traditional garb sang and danced as the athletes paraded into the arena.

As usual, Greece, led the way with athletes waving their blue and white stripes proudly, honoured as the inaugural Olympic hosts.

The Olympic rings are seen during Friday night’s opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Albania, Algeria, Andorra followed — and the parade continued.

A solitary athlete from Colombia carried his nation’s flag to its first Winter Olympics. Later, Ethiopia’s four athletes waved the red, yellow, and green flag ahead of Finland.

The celebration continues, with the mystery of which fantastic Canadian, or Canadians, will light the cauldron left to be revealed.