The "get to the off-season" tour continued for
San Jose, as they wrapped up their 3-game road trip with a deflating 4-2 loss
to the St Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Thursday night. The Sharks did
the 2022-23 shuffle, grabbing a lead, then losing in the end. It was the 27th
time this season that San Jose held a lead and surrendered it to lose.
The Sharks thought they had scored the game's opening goal 5 minutes in when
Evgeny Svechnikov put a puck on net in tight. Svechnikov raised his arms to
celebrate but neither referee signaled a goal. Video replay was deemed
inconclusive, even though an overhead shot looked as if the puck had cross the
line while up on an edge.
Erik Karlsson made sure video replay was
unnecessary when he snapped a shot past goaltender Jordan Binnington at 10:23.
The Blues tried moving the puck off their own end boards, then Alexander
Barabanov intercepted a pass near the left dot. Barabanov found Karlsson on the
weak side of the ice with a pass through the slot. Karlsson converted that pass
into a 1-0 lead and his 20th goal of the season.
St Louis countered
with a goal 2 minutes later when defenseman Torey Krug converted on the rush
from the left side. Robert Thomas carried the puck up the right wing and found
Krug who trailed on the off wing.
Sammy Blais gave the Blues a 2-1
lead midway through the 2nd period after a turnover by rookie William Eklund.
Colton Parayko stripped Eklund at the St Louis blueline, then dove to chip the
puck forward to Blais who streaked up the ice undefended. The Blues forward
raced in on net and lifted the puck top shelf past Sharks goaltender Kaapo
Kahkonen.
Tomas Hertl re-tied the game 4 minutes later. The Czech
forward gathered a Barabanov pass in the high slot then fired the puck from
60-feet out, beating Binnington for his 18th goal of the season.
Jakub
Vrana made it a 3-2 Blues lead 2:53 into the 3rd period. The Blues moved the
puck down low, and put a shot on goal from the doorstep but Kahkonen made the
save. The Sharks goaltender had his left skate pinned against the right post,
but Vrana made a couple of attempts from outside the pipe. He succeeded by
lifting the puck and banking it off the Sharks goaltender as he had one foot
across the end line.
The Sharks found the net with 10 minutes to play
in regulation but it found its way into the Blues net via a Hertl high stick
that negated the tally.
A terrible call on Fabian Zetterlund put the Blues
on the power play for the 3rd time in the game at 14:07. St Louis entered the
game having converted 2 of their pervious 35 power play chances. Those 2 came
against San Jose. This man advantage would net the Blues their 3rd conversion
when Thomas punched a shot past Kahkonen to make it a 4-2 game.
Game Notes: * The Blues wore their retro 90's jerseys. It's the
only time this season that St Louis will don the blue, and red sweaters, which
is accented with yellow.
* Erik Karlsson set a career high in points
with 83 when he scored his 1st period goal. The Defenseman also recorded his
3rd career 20-goal season.
* With his 2 assists, Alexander Barabanov
recorded his 8th multi-point game of the season. Barabanov's highest point
production of the season came against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on January
28th, when the Russian forward had a goal and 2 assists.
* Sharks head
coach David Quinn was informed that he had been assessed a $25,000 fine for his
tirade in the loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. More than 4 days had
passed since the NHL decided to levy the fine.
* With the loss, San
Jose has lost their last 8 games against St Louis. This capped a season sweep
by the Blues.
