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Blues come alive in third to dump Sharks

Oct 16, 2011 - 5:47 AM San Jose, CA (Sports Network) - Kent Huskins and Alexander Steen scored in the third period, lifting the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion.

Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots to pick up the victory in his first game in a Blues uniform. Jaroslav Halak had started St. Louis' first three contests of the season, going 1-2-0.

Thomas Greiss gave up three goals on 19 shots for the Sharks, who were shut out in Anaheim on Friday. Michal Handzus and Brent Burns lit the lamp in the loss.

Burns' goal gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead after two periods, but Huskins netted the equalizer 4:33 into the third. He picked up a loose puck along the left boards, skated into the left circle, and fired a wrister through traffic. Greiss could only turn his head to watch the puck sail by.

Nearly five minutes later, Steen put the Blues on top. He carried the puck while racing up the left side of the ice on a rush, and worked a smooth give- and-go with Kevin Shattenkirk.

Just before reaching the top of the circle, Steen fed the puck to Shattenkirk to the slot and accepted the return pass moments later. He held the disc briefly before sending it between Greiss' pads for a 3-2 edge.

San Jose couldn't even the score despite having a power play after Blues forward Chris Stewart was whistled for tripping with 6:09 left to play. The Sharks pulled Greiss in a last-ditch attempt, but David Backes scored to seal the victory.

Matt D'Agostini put St. Louis on the board 2:37 into the game, after intercepting a pass in the San Jose zone. He was at the top of the slot when he gained control, skated in on net, and put a wrister past Greiss.

"I'm disappointed in our start," said Sharks head coach Todd McLellan. "We weren't prepared to play a grind-it-out game. We wanted to play this fancy puck possession stuff against a team that wanted to grind it out."

Handzus' power-play score with 1:16 to play in the first made it a 1-1 game, and Burns' blast from the right point got past Elliott 11:18 into the second.

Game Notes

The Sharks won three of the four matchups last season...St. Louis hadn't won in San Jose since December 3, 2009...Ryane Clowe assisted on both Sharks goals.