The San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues played the second of their meetings this year. The puck was lively, to say the least, as SAP Center hosted both an AHL and NHL game, leaving the playing surface in rougher shape than usual. But the Blues capitalized on their chances and got stellar goaltending from their backup to take two points from their visit to the SAP Center.
First Period
San Jose came out quick, and only the iron stopped an early lead.
Center Chris Tierney rang a shot off the goalpost coming in on former San Jose Shark Carter Hutton. Tierney got his shot off but then went heavily into the boards. The Sharks kept on the pressure with Joe Thornton and Mikkel Boedker getting solid scoring opportunities but the St. Louis back-up netminder stopped both attempts.
The Blues best chance on Martin Jones came in the last seconds of the opening stanza when Alex Steen’s shot would be swallowed up. The tight-checking first 20 minutes ended with a clean sheet: no scoring and no penalties.
Second Period
Robby Fabbri nearly got the Blues on the board after Martin Jones misplayed the puck to the left of the crease. Jones played the puck but handcuffed the Sharks defense. The puck squirted out to Fabbri, but Jones closed the five-hole and covered the puck.
The Sharks went on the five-on-three power play when Steen and Pietrangelo took slashing calls 12 seconds apart. Joe Pavelski missed a wide-open net and moments later was sent off for interference. During the abbreviated power play Colton Parayko’s blast beat Jones to the far side and gave St. Louis the 1-0 lead with 14:33 left to play in the second period. Sharks coach Peter DeBoer challenged the goal, saying the play was offsides.
After a review proved inconclusive, the Sharks lost their timeout, and the early lead stood up. Moments later, Jaden Schwartz nearly made it a 2-0 lead, but Jones was sharp again. The Blues did extend their lead at 10:01 of the period when David Perron squeezed the puck past Jones who failed to seal the near post.
[irp]
Any hopes of a Sharks comeback were erased when Joe Thornton speared Paul Stastny with a terrible spear to the midsection of the Blues forward.
Five and a game for Thornton for a spear on Stastny. Some supplemental discipline from the NHL as well, I'm guessing #STLvsSJS
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) January 15, 2017
The Blues evidently did not want to do much with the ensuing five-minute power play — St. Louis took two minor penalties, eliminating a chunk of the major penalty. The Sharks killed off the remaining two minutes once all the penalties expired with just under four minutes left in the period.
Third Period
The Blues came out flat and did not have a shot on net in the first nine minutes of action in the final frame, but Joni Lehtera’s deflection beat Jones on the first St. Louis shot on goal to make it 3-0. The referees put their whistles away for the third period, with both teams deserving of penalties but play continuing without the penalty box doors opening.
Down by a trio of goals, Sharks coach Peter DeBoer pulled Jones with nearly six minutes left in the game, but a turnover at center ice quickly lead to Steen’s empty net marker with 5:23 left in regulation and the game would end with a 4-0 victory for the visiting Blues.
Scoring Summary
First Period
(No Scoring)
Second Period
STL – Colton Parayko (2) (Power Play) Assisted byPaul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk
STL – David Perron (11) Assisted by Colton Parayko and Robby Fabbri
Third Period
STL – Jori Lehtera (5) Assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko
STL – Alexander Steen (5) (Empty Net) Assisted by Jaden Schwartz and Kevin Shattenkirk
THW Three Stars
First Star: Carter Hutton (23 Shot Shutout)
Second Star: Colton Parayko (Goal, Assist)
Third Star: Kevin Shattenkirk (Two Assists)
[irp]
NEXT UP
Winnipeg Jets vs. San Jose Sharks
SAP Center – 1:00 PM PST on Monday, January 16, 2017
Broadcast Channels: CSNCA, TSN3
Season Series:
First Game of the Season Series
NEXT UP
St. Louis Blues vs. Anaheim Ducks
Honda Center – 6:00 PM PST on Sunday, January 15, 2017
Broadcast Channels: NHLN-US, FS-MW, Prime
Season Series:
First Game of the Season Series
