Hutton-led Blues blank host Sharks
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It won't erase what happened the last time the Blues were in town, but St. Louis certainly made their mark on Saturday.
The visitors played a physical brand of hockey and received stellar goaltending from one-time Sharks' farmhand Carter Hutton en route to a 4-0 win over the team that eliminated them from the Western Conference Final last spring.
Hutton stopped 23 shots for his fifth career shutout as San Jose was blanked at SAP Center for the second time in 21 games. The Sharks were last shut out at home by Pittsburgh 5-0 on Nov. 5.
The Blues, who snapped a two-game losing streak, took a 3-0 lead at 9:16 of the third period when forward Jori Lehtera scored his fifth goal of the season with a deflection with his back to the net.
St. Louis added an empty-net goal at 14:37 -- Alexander Steen's fifth of the season -- as Sharks coach Peter DeBoer opted to remove goalie Martin Jones for an extra skater earlier than he ever has in his two years behind the San Jose bench.
The Blues broke a scoreless tie by scoring twice in the second period, which featured an ejection of Sharks alternate captain Joe Thornton after he was assessed a spearing major.
The Sharks had an extended two-man advantage, but after Joe Pavelski missed a wide-open net by firing off the side of the net, the San Jose captain took out some frustration on Blues defenseman Colton Parayko and drew an interference penalty.
Once the Blues killed the second of their penalties to begin their first power play, it wasn't long before Parayko let fly with a slap shot from above the right circle that appeared to deflect off the stick of Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and past Jones.
Parayko's second goal of the season came at 5:27, and it stood following a coach's challenge after video was inconclusive of St. Louis left winger Alexander Steen going offside as the visitors entered the zone.
The Blues went up 2-0 at 10:01 when winger David Perron punched home a loose puck at the side of the net after a Parayko's drive caromed off the skate of Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon to the near post. It was Perron's 11th goal of the season.
Thornton earned his early shower by spearing Blues center Paul Stastny at center ice at 11:09. It was Thornton's third career game misconduct. His last came Nov. 4, 2010, and he was subsequently suspended two games for striking St. Louis' Perron.
NOTES: San Jose D David Schlemko returned after missing five games with an upper-body injury. D Paul Martin dressed after missing one game to give the Sharks a healthy blue line for the first time since Dec. 30. ... Sharks LW Joonas Donskoi was out with an upper-body injury. The only other game he missed this season was a healthy scratch on Dec. 14. ... Sharks C Tommy Wingels rejoined the lineup after scratches in the last two games and seven of the last nine. ... The Blues conclude a three-game trip on Sunday at Anaheim. St. Louis is 4-2 on the second night of back-to-backs this season. ... Blues G Carter Hutton, a former Sharks farmhand, started in place of Jake Allen, who had been pulled in three of his previous five appearances. ... LW Dmitrij Jaskin played in place of LW Scottie Upshall as Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said he wanted more size on the fourth line.