Joe Pavelski collected two goals Saturday night as the San Jose
Sharks rushed past the St. Louis Blues 5-3 at soldout HP Pavilion.
Antti Niemi, making his 28th consecutive start at goaltender for
San Jose, made 42 saves as the Sharks stretched their lead in the
Pacific Division over Phoenix to three points. San Jose hosts the
Calgary Flames Wednesday night before starting a two-game road trip
Thursday in Los Angeles.
SAN JOSE
Joe Pavelski collected two goals Saturday night as the San Jose Sharks rushed past the St. Louis Blues 5-3 at soldout HP Pavilion.
Antti Niemi, making his 28th consecutive start at goaltender for San Jose, made 42 saves as the Sharks stretched their lead in the Pacific Division over Phoenix to three points.
San Jose hosts the Calgary Flames Wednesday night before starting a two-game road trip Thursday in Los Angeles.
Follow Free Lance Sports on Twitter.
Pavelski’s two goals and one assist left the centerman with three goals and eight assists over the past four games.
San Jose scored on two consecutive power play opportunities in the first period to take a 3-0 lead after 7:41 of play.
St. Louis, 13th in the Western Conference and coming off a 4-0 blanking of the Los Angeles Kings Thursday night, gave up two goals in a span of 42 seconds on the way to a 31st regulation defeat.
Pavelski was in the middle of the Sharks’ first scoring play, 4:03 into the first period.
Defenseman Ian White blasted a low shot from the right dot that bounded off Blues starting goalie Jaroslav Halak. Pavelski hustled to the front of the crease, but his one-timer was also stopped by Halak. Torrey Mitchell was in position to loft the rebound over Halak’s glove for his seventh goal of the year.
St. Louis winger Chris Stewart was called for delay of game at 4:33. San Jose needed 12 seconds to take a 2-0 lead. Devin Setoguchi found Patrick Marleau unmarked at the top of the slot. Marleau’s measured slapshot skimmed toward the right post and behind Halak. Pavelski was originally given credit for the goal, but off-ice officials changed the Pavelski goal to Marleau after the game.
After Blue BJ Crombeen earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at 6:44 the Sharks responded with a third goal at the 7:41 mark. Dan Boyle dropped the puck to Pavelski at the high slot. Pavelski followed with a low shot through traffic that found that back of the net.
The Blues erased any chance of a Niemi shut-out when TJ Hensick scored his first goal of the season at 8:19 of the second period.
Matt D’Agostini sped into the Sharks zone before Niemi’s save left the puck flying over San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray in the low slot. Hensick kicked the puck forward, a turning Murray then providing enough momentum with an inadvertent nudge with his skate to send the puck inside the right post.
Pavelski was not on the ice when San Jose took a 4-1 lead at 12:30 of the second period. Setoguchi netted his 20th goal of the campaign with a low rocket from the right point past a crowd at the front of the net.
Pavelski completed his scoring went he took position at the top of the crease at 19:54 of the second period and deflected Boyle’s long shot from the right post past back-up goalie Ty Conklin for his 99th NHL goal.
The Blues responded with the third period’s two goals. David Backes, the visitor’s leading scorer on the year with 53 points, sent a low shot from the right point that beat a screened Niemi at the 8:00 mark. Andy McDonald was successful with a shot from the high slot at 18:21 for his 18th goal of the year.
Logan Couture went off the ice 1:04 into the second period with a possible lower body injury and did not return to the game.
Anaheim defeated Los Angeles 2-1 in overtime to move the Ducks into eighth place in the conference.
