San Jose Sharks halt six-game losing streak with 4-2 win over St. Louis Blues
Dany Heatley lit the lamp twice and Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots, as the San Jose Sharks snapped a six-game losing streak by posting a 4-2 victory over St. Louis Blues, at the HP Pavilion on Saturday night.
Joe Thornton and Jamie McGinn also scored goals for San Jose, who avoided a seventh consecutive loss, and got their first win since New Year’s Day in Los Angeles.
San Jose Coach Todd McLellan was pleased with his side’s performance, but urged them to show more consistency. He said, “This can’t just be a one night thing when we stop a losing streak. This has to be an every night thing. If we can bottle it up and keep
playing that way, it doesn’t guarantee us wins every night, but we have a chance.”
B.J. Crombeen and Erik Johnson tallied goals for the Blues, who has lost six of their last seven games. Jaroslav Halak gave up four goals on 29 shots in defeat.
Crombeen broke the deadlock in the sixth minute of the opening period to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. Goaltender Niemi seemed to make a shoulder stop on a wrist shot from Crombeen, but the disc bounced in the air, landed behind Niemi in the crease and trickled
into the net.
The Blues managed to hold on to that lead, but failed to extend their advantage off two power-play opportunities, and allowed two goals when San Jose had the extra man.
St. Louis Forward Alexander Steen expressed his disappointment after the game. He said, “Our overall game was so-so and there were times we should have gotten the pucks in and they bounced out. Our special teams need to help our team.”
San Jose countered on a power-play in the 15th minute of the first period. It started when Thornton slipped a pass through the crease to Heatley, who chipped it home for the an goal to tie the game at 1-1.
Thornton put the Sharks ahead with a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal in the 12th minute of the second period. It began when Ian Cole was in the penalty box for holding Benn Ferriero. Dan Boyle ripped a shot to net but it was stopped. Then Thornton picked up
the rebound and knocked it past Halak.
Thornton praised the performance of his team-mates, but added that more work was needed. He said, "It's been a while since we won, so everybody can just exhale for a little bit. But still, we've still got to work hard. This doesn't stop here."
St. Louis did not take much time to even the game at 2-2. It started when Patrik Berglund won the face-off back to Johnson, who moved to the bottom of the left circle and fired a shot through Niemi’s legs.
San Jose broke the tie to take a one-goal advantage at 3-2 early in the final stanza. Heatley was skating alone in the slot when he tipped Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s point shot from the blue line past the Blues netminder.
The Sharks recorded an insurance goal to double their advantage to 4-2 in the 13th minute of the final stanza. Scott Nichol blasted a shot that was saved, but McGinn got the rebound and knocked it in for his first of the 2010-11 season.
“I knew it was going to come,” McGinn said. “I just didn’t know when. You have to keep the same game every night, just go hard and eventually it will come.”
Tags: