Sharks answer twice, finish overtime comeback to beat Blues 3-2 in St. Louis

Every Blues lead disappeared

St. Louis opened the scoring at 3:52 of the first period when Connor McMichael redirected a puck past the San Jose goaltender. Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren drew the assists, and the early finish gave the Blues control of a game that never stayed settled for long.

The Sharks' first answer came in the second. Tyler Toffoli tied it 1-1 at 8:48 with a wrist shot, with Michael Misa and Jacob Trouba setting up the play. That goal mattered beyond the scoreboard. It reset a game that had been tilted by an early St. Louis strike and reminded the Blues that one clean finish would not be enough.

St. Louis pushed back again early in the third period. Dillon Dube restored the home side's lead just 1:39 in with an unassisted wrist shot, but that advantage lasted only until 6:05. Collin Graf pulled San Jose even on a snap shot from Sam Dickinson and Toffoli, giving the Sharks a second equalizer and sending the night toward overtime.

From there, San Jose supplied the only goal of the extra period. The Sharks did not need a flood of chances to win it; they needed one more finish after spending the evening proving they could recover from setbacks.

A rough night for both power plays

The underlying numbers fit the one-goal margin. San Jose finished with a narrow 26-25 edge in shots, while the Sharks also led 35-22 in hits and 13-12 in blocked shots. Faceoffs ended perfectly even at 29 apiece, which helps explain why neither club managed to pull away for very long.

Special teams, however, gave this game its odd shape. The Sharks went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Blues went 0-for-2. Yet St. Louis was still credited with a short-handed goal, a detail that turned San Jose's power play into a liability as much as an opportunity. In a game decided in overtime, that was one of the sharpest statistical swings on the sheet.

San Jose's skill line still found enough offence at even strength. Toffoli finished with a goal and an assist, Graf scored once, and Misa, Trouba and Dickinson each contributed an assist. Kiefer Sherwood set a physical tone with nine hits, and Zack Ostapchuk won five of six faceoffs. For St. Louis, McMichael and Dube scored the goals, McTavish recorded an assist and five shots, and Robert Thomas won 11 draws. There was production on both sides, just not enough from the Blues after their two leads.

Our take: resilience won it, but neither team should love the details

San Jose's best takeaway is obvious: the Sharks stayed in the game every time it drifted toward St. Louis. They answered a first-period deficit, answered again after falling behind in the third, and then finished the job in overtime. That is the sort of resilience teams can build on, especially on a night when the power play produced nothing and the giveaway total climbed to 20.

The caution for San Jose is just as clear. A team that hands over the puck 20 times and goes scoreless on four power plays is asking for trouble, and on another night those mistakes are enough to waste the comeback. St. Louis, meanwhile, will look at this one as a missed home opportunity. The Blues protected neither of their leads, generated only 25 shots, and got no return from two power plays. They were competitive in the faceoff circle and found a short-handed goal, but the broader offensive push never created enough separation. In a game this tight, the team that kept answering deserved the extra point.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 3:52

   Connor McMichael Goal (2) Tip-In, assists: Mason McTavish (1), Jonatan Berggren (1)

2. 2nd · 8:48

   Tyler Toffoli Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Michael Misa (2), Jacob Trouba (2)

3. 3rd · 1:39

   Dillon Dube Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: none

4. 3rd · 6:05

   Collin Graf Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Sam Dickinson (1), Tyler Toffoli (2)

5. OT · 1:03

   Darnell Nurse Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Ivar Stenberg (2), Alexander Wennberg (1)