ST. LOUIS – Joe Thornton had a four-point night, while Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture each scored twice as the Sharks downed the Blues at Scottrade Center, 6-3.
The Sharks (32-21-5, 69 points) drew to within three points of the first place Kings and one point of second place Anaheim. All three Pacific Division rivals have 24 games remaining.
San Jose improved to 14-3-3 in its last 20 games and has won three of four games on its road trip, which concludes in Colorado on Wednesday.
The Blues, who got two goals and one assist from Vladimir Tarasenko, saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. They are 6-2-1 in their last nine games, with both regulation losses coming to the Sharks at Scottrade Center.
The Sharks were already up 1-0 on Hertl’s first goal when the game turned on a scary collision.
In the Sharks’ defensive zone, the Blues’ Ryan Reaves plowed ahead and hammered defenseman Matt Tennyson from behind into the glass. Tennyson was dazed immediately, and fell backwards before slamming his head on the ice surface with 11:23 to go in the first period. He did not return.
[WATCH: Sharks' Tennyson gets crushed by Blues' Reaves, exits ice]
Reaves was issued a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and it’s likely he’ll be hearing from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
San Jose took advantage of the extended power play. Hertl poked in a Marc-Edouard Vlasic point shot at 10:18, and after Robert Bortuzzo’s slashing minor gave the Sharks a two-man advantage, Couture got his first of two on the night when he stayed with a loose puck in the crease at 12:59 after he originally tried to flip it in.
St. Louis didn’t go away, though. David Backes’ power play goal at 17:36 of the first period put the Blues on the board, and in the second period it was Tarasenko whizzing one by Martin Jones from the circle on another St. Louis power play at 11:25 to bring the home team back to within 3-2.
Couture responded just 20 seconds later to restore the Sharks’ two-goal cushion, though, when a shot by Vlasic rattled around the slot. Goalie Jake Allen lost track of it while Couture deposited his eighth of the season.
Jones helped San Jose withstand a late second-period push, making key stops on Backes on a rush; Magnus Paajarvi, who went around Paul Martin in the circle, and Bortuzzo with a quick glove hand.
Thornton, who already had a pair of assists, gave the Sharks a 5-2 lead at 7:26 of the third period. He pressured Joel Edmonson into a defensive zone turnover and backhanded it through the wickets of Allen for his 13th score.
Jay Bouwmeester pulled the Blues back to within two with a slap shot through a Schwartz screen with 10:10 to go in regulation, but Thornton’s backhander into an empty net from deep in the Sharks’ zone sealed the win at 18:35 of the third.
On Monday morning, the Sharks acquired defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling from Toronto in exchange for two second round picks and Raffi Torres. They did not play against the Blues, but are hopeful for Wednesday in Colorado.
The Sharks and Blues meet once more on March 22 in San Jose.
Special teams
The teams combined for four power play goals. The Sharks were 2-for-5, while St. Louis finished 2-for-3.
San Jose had been 0-for-7 on the power play over its last three games, and didn’t have a single advantage in its previous game on Friday in Carolina.
St. Louis entered with the NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill. It allowed multiple power play goals in a game for the first time since Jan. 4.
In goal
Jones started for the fifth straight game, and 13th in the last 14. He improved to 13-3-1 in his last 17 starts with 24 saves.
The Blues pulled Brian Elliott after San Jose’s third goal, when the goalie was injured at some point on Couture’s first goal. He made 12 saves on 15 shots.
Allen, who hadn’t played since Jan. 8 because of a knee injury, allowed two goals on 17 shots in suffering the loss.
Lineup
Brenden Dillon (upper body) missed his fifth straight game, but is probable for Wednesday. Tommy Wingels (upper body) missed his second in a row, and was placed on injured reserve on Monday so he’ll miss at least one more game.
St. Louis played its first game without second-leading scorer Alex Steen, who is out for at least one month with an upper body injury.
Up next
They have won two of the first three meetings against the Avalanche, including a 6-1 pounding at SAP Center on Jan. 26. The Buffalo Sabres visit the Sharks on Sunday.
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