Sharks 2 - 7 Blues
Final
  for this game

Balanced attack fuels Blues' 2nd rout of Sharks in 5 days

Jan 9, 2015 - 6:33 AM St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Brian Elliott stopped 24 shots and seven different St. Louis players recorded a goal in the Blues' 7-2 rout of the San Jose Sharks at Scottrade Center.

Alex Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, Paul Stastny, Jori Lehtera, T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund and David Backes all lit the lamp for the Blues, who have won three in a row and tied a season high for offensive output set in an identical 7-2 victory at San Jose five days ago.

"I don't think one guy makes seven goals," said Stastny. "We have four lines going well."

Logan Couture and Melker Karlsson scored for the Sharks, who have dropped five of their last eight contests.

Antti Niemi was pulled after giving up five goals on 21 shots in 33-plus minutes. Alex Stalock finished up and yielded the other two St. Louis scores.

"For us, the two games against St. Louis give us an indication of where we are as a club," said Sharks coach Todd McLellan.

Steen put St. Louis on the board with 9:22 remaining in the first period while the Blues were up a man, putting home a Vladimir Tarasenko pass in transition after Elliott stopped a Couture short-handed chance.

Bouwmeester doubled the hosts' advantage on a long wrister with 4:54 left before intermission.

San Jose's Joe Pavelski sat four minutes for a high-sticking minor later in the period, yet Couture answered for the Sharks off a 2-on-1 break at 18:27. Stastny then struck on the advantage only 39 seconds later to restore the two- goal margin.

Karlsson lit the lamp just 29 seconds into the second by converting a Couture rebound, but the Blues responded with scores from Lehtera at 8:52 and Oshie at 13:20. The second tally, which originated on a Steen chance, precipitated Niemi's removal with the Sharks down 5-2.

Stalock's insertion did little to stir the Sharks, and the Blues closed out the rout on goals from Berglund at 9:05 and Backes at 11:59 of the final period.

Game Notes

The Blues have racked up a 20-4 scoring advantage during their brief win streak, and have recorded six or more goals in three straight games for the first time since Dec. 9-15, 2000 (6-4 vs. CHI; 6-1 at CHI, 6-3 at ATL) ... Jaden Schwartz contributed three assists to the winning side ... Bouwmeester's goal was his first in 22 games ... Steen has totaled 11 points (3G, 8A) during his five-game point streak.






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