• Blues defenseman Vince Dunn was injured midway through the first period when he was struck in the mouth by the puck and he couldn’t return.
• San Jose had a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes and later led by 3-1, but the Blues rallied to a 4-3 lead that they took into the third period.
• The Sharks battled back to tie it with just 1:01 remaining in regulation time then Erik Karlsson scored the game-winner due to a missed call.
San Jose Sharks 5, St. Louis Blues 4 (OT) (Sharks lead 2-1)
While the game was ultimately defined by a controversial goal, this was otherwise an excellent, back-and-forth contest. The Sharks took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Erik Karlsson’s first goal of the 2019 playoffs and Joe Thornton taking advantage of a rebound. That early deficit, coupled with Vince Dunn leaving the game after being struck by the puck made it entirely possible that this could have been a blowout win for the Sharks. Instead, the Blues battled back. They scored four goals in the second period, including back-to-back markers by David Perron in the span of just 2:39 minutes to give St. Louis a 4-3 lead. The Blues came so close to carrying that lead to the finish line and almost won the contest on an empty netter that instead hit the post. With just 1:01 remaining, Logan Couture capitalized on a rebound in front of the net to tie the game. Erik Karlsson went on to score the overtime winner at 5:23, but not before Timo Meier made a hand pass that was missed by the referees.
Three Stars
1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks. So Karlsson’s second goal was obviously marred in controversy, but that doesn’t change the fact that he had an amazing game. He still scored twice while logging an incredible 27:51 minutes. The Sharks acquired Karlsson before the start of the season in the hopes that he might be the missing piece needed to push them to a championship. He’s had to battle injury and probably is playing hurt now, but he’s still managed to be a major factor.
2. David Perron, St. Louis Blues. The second period started with a flurry of goals that left the Blues down 3-2. The game settled for a while after that until Perron got a wrister up and past Martin Jones at 16:03 of the second frame. With the contest tied, Perron blasted a shot just 2:39 minutes later to put the Blues up 4-3.
3. Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues. With Vince Dunn out from the middle of the first period onward, the rest of the Blues’ defensemen had to step up. Not only did Parayko log 29:49 minutes, but he also contributed three assists. That came after he was held off the scoresheet in the first two games of the Western Conference Final.
Highlights of the Night
Joe Thornton had a great game and both of his goals were in part thanks to him being in the right place at the right time. That’s not to suggest that they weren’t high-skill goals though. Thornton did an amazing job both creating opportunities and capitalizing on them, as you can see with his second goal of the game.
The missed call
Of course, this is the moment most will remember from the game. Erik Karlsson scored after Timo Meier made a hand pass. It was a missed call, but it couldn’t be reviewed, so that was the game. Needless to say that the Blues and their fans were understandably very upset.
Here is @StLouisBlues’ Craig Berube’s response to the end of #SJSvsSTL. pic.twitter.com/1dx3ds5X2O
— #StanleyCup on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 16, 2019
Factoids
- Logan Couture already has 14 goals in 17 games. His latest marker tied the Sharks’ franchise record for most goals in a single postseason. [NHL PR]
- With Erik Karlsson’s two-goal effort, the Sharks now have three different defensemen who have had multi-goal games in the 2019 playoffs. The only other team to match that feat were the 1982-83 Boston Bruins. [StatsCentre]
- Due to Dunn’s injury, St. Louis had three different defensemen record at least 27 minutes of ice time. They were: Jay Bouwmeester (27:51), Colton Parayko (29:49), and Alex Pietrangelo (31:57).
- The Blues scored their most goals in a single playoff period (four) since the 2000 Conference Quarterfinals. [NHL PR]
Thursday’s Schedule
Game 3: Boston Bruins at Carolina Hurricanes, 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
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Ryan Dadoun is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanDadoun.