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Couture leads San Jose
again
Solid performance wraps up road
trip
San Jose finished off their three-game road trip
with a solid outing in St Louis on Saturday night, and were rewarded with a 4-1
victory. Logan Couture continued his hot streak by scoring a pair goals and
Antero Niittymaki made 21 saves to earn his 11th win of the season. The Sharks
kept things simple, moved the puck well, and put together a chance to win three
games in a row for the first time since early November.
It was the
first trip back to St Louis, since Joe Thornton earned a two-game suspension
for his hit on David Perron back on November 4th. Perron hasn't played since
that game, suffering the affects of a concussion that he suffered on the hit.
For the Blues, that was the start of a string of injuries that has really
ham-strung this team. St Louis would suffer more injuries Saturday night.
The Sharks didn't let the Perron situation affect their game, although
physical play and fisticuffs were a big part of the story.
Thornton
missed on a golden opportunity five minutes into the contest when he found
himself with the puck in front of Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak. The Sharks
captain fooled Halak with a forehand move from three feet out, but couldn't get
the shot over Halak's pads.
Patrik Berglund took a high sticking
penalty 50 seconds after Jason Demers was sent off for holding. San Jose killed
off the Demers penalty and used a brief power play to score the game's first
goal.
Couture, the rookie centerman, converted his 16th goal of the
season on an impressive deflection from the slot. Dan Boyle fired a shot on
goal from the blueline that was partially deflected by a Blues defender right
after the shot. Couture was positioned in line with the shot between the
circles and got his stick blade on the puck, deflecting it toward the ice. The
puck would bounce in front of the crease and hop over Halak's stick and into
the goal.
Ryan Clowe and BJ Crombeen dropped the gloves with 6 minutes
and change remaining in the period, snapping a 12-game stretch for San Jose
without a fight. Clowe bloodied Crombeen in a spirited scrap. Scott Nichol and
Chris Porter would also engage each other less than a minute later, albeit a
much shorter affair.
San Jose got a late goal to make it 2-0 right
before the first intermission, when Marc Edouard Vlasic sent a long shot from
the left point past Halak. The shot wasn't anything special, but it appeared to
fool the Blues netminder as it tucked inside the right post.
Couture
left the game with a minute to play in the period, walking gingerly as he
stepped into the locker room.
The Sharks got a break on a breakaway
chance for the Blues that went by the way side. Ian Cole took a lead pass after
exiting the penalty box 7 minutes into the 2nd period, but his shot sailed over
Niittymaki to preserve the Sharks two-goal lead.
Couture would make it
3-0 after deflecting another Boyle shot past Halak at 8:21. Couture kept the
puck alive with a strong forecheck along the end boards, then skated to the top
of the crease just as Boyle's shot came sailing into the slot area. The puck
hit Couture in the chest and redirected into the net. It was his 17th of the
year and 14th on the road this season.
David Backes would score on a penalty shot at 10:44,
after he was interfered with on a break to the net. Backes beat Niittymaki with
a 5-hole shot that hit the Shark goaltender right pad and sputtered across the
line to get the Blues on the board.
Devin Setoguchi would push the
lead back to three goals by whacking at a deflection in front of the net, after
Halak failed to gain control of the puck in a scrum. Vlasic was credited with
the primary assist, but it was Joe Pavelski that did the heavy lifting to get
the puck on net. For Setoguchi, it was his third goal in two games, all coming
since returning from the injured list.
Game Notes:
Dave Scatchard suffered a lower body injury in the 1st period and did not
return. Carlo Colaiacovo was also dazed by a hit in front of the Blues glass
that required some attention that wuld sideline him for the remainder of the
game. Couture tied Milan Michalek for third on the franchise list for goals by
a rookie. Pat Falloon holds the club record with 25.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| STL |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
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| 1st period - 1, SJ,
Couture 16 (Boyle, Clowe), 9:30, (pp). 2, SJ, Vlasic (Pavelski, Mayers),
18:15. |
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| 2nd period - 3, SJ,
Couture 17 (Boyle, Marleau), 8:21. 4, STL, Backes 7 (penalty shot), 10:44. |
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| 3rd period - 5, SJ,
Setoguchi 5 (Vlasic, Pavelski), 15:04. |
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| 1st period - Demers, SJ
(holding), 6:54; Berglund, STL (high sticking), 7:49; Boyes, STL (high
sticking), 11:39; Clowe, SJ (fighting major), 13:27; Crombeen, STL (fighting
major), 13:27; Nichol, SJ (fighting major), 14:48; Porter, STL (fighting
major), 14:48; Mayers, SJ (fighting major), 18:18; Winchester, STL (fighting
major), 18:18. |
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| 2nd period - McGinn, SJ
(roughing), 5:10; Cole, STL (roughing), 5:10; McGinn, SJ (PS - slash on
breakaway), 10:44. |
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| 3rd period - Berglund,
STL (hooking), 1:58; Clowe, SJ (roughing), 7:24; Jackman, STL (roughing),
7:24. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| SJ - Niittymaki |
22 |
21 |
| STL - Halak |
34 |
30 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
T |
| SJ |
7 |
10 |
17 |
34 |
| STL |
3 |
11 |
8 |
22 |
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| Referees: Meier,
Hebert. Linesmen: Racicot, Cvik. |
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