(My Sportsbook) - The St. Louis Blues got a taste of what the future holds in store for the NHL on Tuesday when two of the most promising young scorers in the league led the Atlanta Thrashers to an 8-4 win.

Dany Heatley, playing on his 22nd birthday, had two goals and an assist, while 19-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk scored twice and also added an assist for Atlanta, which scored a team-record five times in the first period.

Keith Tkachuk had two goals for the Central Division-leading Blues, who had their two-game winning streak broken. It was the most goals allowed by St. Louis since the team surrendered eight in a game against Vancouver (8-0) on December 15, 1996. It was also more goals allowed than ever before in Joel Quenneville's 499 games as Blues coach.

"That should get our attention," said Quenneville. "I don't recall when we've gotten waxed like that since I've been here."

The Blues, who had taken the five previous matchups from Atlanta, blanked the Thrashers in the last two meetings, 4-0 at the Savvis Center on December 14 and 3-0 in the same arena February 12, 2002. Brent Johnson recorded the shutout in both those games, but he allowed two goals on just three shots in Tuesday's contest.

Fred Brathwaite allowed six goals on 27 shots for the Blues.

The five goals in the first period were a record for most in any stanza for the Thrashers. After Tkachuk scored at 4:33 to tie the game, Dan Snyder, Brad Tapper, Marc Savard and Heatley lit the lamp to boost Atlanta to a 5-1 lead and they would hold a 5-2 advantage after 20 minutes.

"We had a lightning start with five quick goals," said Atlanta goalie Pasi Nurminen, who made 22 saves. "Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. And it's 5-1 just like that."

Heatley, who registered his third two-goal game of the season, scored 2:36 into the game on the power play on a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Brathwaite to the glove side.

Tkachuk evened the score at the 4:33 mark on a redirection, but Snyder scored off a rebound 1 1/2 minutes later to give Atlanta the lead for good.

"Totally uncharacteristic of our team," Tkachuk said. "Taking penalties like that, giving up the puck and giving up tip-ins like that. They dictated play. They dictated the wide-open style - and we fell into that river hockey."

WHAT'S AHEAD

The Blues will wrap up a three-game road trip on Thursday in Chicago before hosting the streaking Dallas Stars on Saturday.