RALEIGH, N.C. -- If the St. Louis Blues were going to get offense from what's normally a grinding line, then the rest of the team had better join in.

That's the approach the Blues took as they found offense from a variety of sources to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Arena.

Right winger Ty Rattie and center Kyle Brodziak provided rare offense and that seemed to spark the Blues.

"Two goals out of those guys is fantastic and the rest of us followed suit," Blues center David Backes said. "When they're bringing it, it gives no one else an excuse to fade away."

Backes, center Robby Frabbri and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo also scored for St. Louis, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Brodziak's short-handed goal in the second period broke a 2-2 tie. That sent the Blues on their way.

"We, as a group, had a great period and it was great to build off," Brodziak said.

The Hurricanes were already reeling from a pregame trade that sent Carolina captain Eric Staal to the New York Rangers. There was speculation that more moves might be in the works because right winger Kris Versteeg and center Riley Nash didn't play after early in the second period, with no injuries reported.

"They had that distraction, no doubt about it," Backes said.

The Hurricanes dropped deeper out of the potential playoff mix in the Eastern Conference, perhaps adding to the decision to make a deal.

"That's the way it goes," said center Jordan Staal, whose older brother is no longer a teammate. "Obviously, we didn't want it this way."

Left winger Jeff Skinner and defenseman Ron Hainsey scored for the Hurricanes.

Still, with the trade deadline looming Monday, the off-ice matters seemed to consume the Hurricanes.

"There was a lot of stuff going on, obviously," Jordan Staal said. "It was a difficult game to get the mind right."

By the end, the Hurricanes were limited to three lines. Eric Staal's absence was glaring.

"It's going to be a void, for sure, until we figure out a way to fix that," Carolina coach Bill Peters said.

Frabbri and Pietrangelo, who had missed the previous nine games with an injury, scored 37 seconds apart in the third period, each picking up an assist on the other's goal for the Blues (36-20-9). They were coming off their most lopsided loss of the season with Saturday's 5-0 setback at Nashville.

Fabbri's goal came as he made a nifty cut toward the net and deposited the puck, providing the game's first two-goal cushion with 13:58 remaining.

St. Louis goalie Jake Allen made 32 saves.

The Hurricanes (28-26-10) have lost four of their last five games, including three defeats during a four-day period.

Carolina goalie Cam Ward stopped 35 shots.

It was the third time in a nine-game stretch in which the Blues scored at least five goals.

The Blues led 3-2 after two periods courtesy of a two-goal second period.

"I thought it's one of the best periods we've played," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We hemmed them in and didn't let them out."

Backes pulled St. Louis even with a goal 20 seconds into the period.

Brodziak's short -handed goal with 8:50 left in the period regained the lead for the Blues. That was only the second short-handed goal of the season for St. Louis.

The go-ahead goal was set up by a Carolina turnover. Right winger Scottie Upshall ended up with the puck as the Blues skated in on Ward on a 2-on-0 advantage. Brodziak converted after taking a delivery from Upshall.

Brodziak scored his only other goal this season Nov. 21. Coupled with an assist on the game's first goal, he had two points in a game for the first time this season.

After Rattie opened the scoring just 2:17 into the game in only his second NHL appearance after nearly a month in the minor leagues, the Hurricanes responded.

Skinner and Hainsey scored 84 seconds apart, so it was 2-1 less than 10 minutes into the game.

Hainsey, who assisted on Skinner's goal, had two points. He had gone the previous 13 games without a point.

NOTES: The Hurricanes announced the trade of C Eric Staal, the captain, to the New York Rangers about an hour before face-off. Carolina received C Aleksi Saarela and second-round picks in the next two drafts in return. ... Blues D Alex Pietrangelo was back in the lineup after missing nine games with a nine injury. He missed a combined seven games in his previous five full NHL seasons. ... LW Jeff Skinner, 23, played in his 400th NHL game, all with the Hurricanes. ... Former Hurricanes head coach Kirk Muller is an assistant coach with the Blues. ... Blues D Colton Parayko and Hurricanes D Jaccob Slavin both rank among the top five among NHL rookies in ice time per game. ... Carolina won the only other meeting this season, taking a 4-1 decision Jan. 14 at St. Louis. ... The Blues play the third game of a four-game road swing Tuesday night at Ottawa. ... The Hurricanes, who play only one home game in the next 22 days, go to New Jersey on Tuesday night.