St. Louis starts fast, ties series
Jordan Binnington made 29 saves to set a franchise record with his 10th playoff win this postseason and the host St. Louis Blues slipped past the San Jose Sharks, 21, Friday night to tie the Western Conference final at two games apiece.
Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev scored in the first period for the Blues, giving Binnington all the scoring he needed.
Tomas Hertl scored for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 20 saves.
Game 5 will be played Sunday in San Jose.
Barbashev gave the Blues a quick lead when his shot deflected off of Gustav Nyquist’s stick and into the net just 35 seconds into the game.
Alexander Steen’s hip check of San Jose defenseman Brent Burns behind the Sharks net created a turnover that led to the first career playoff goal for Barbashev, a left winger.
There have been seven goals scored in the opening minute of playoff games this year, with three of them coming against San Jose — the most since the Boston Bruins allowed four during their Stanley Cup run in 2011.
The Blues needed just 9 seconds to convert on a power play as Bozak’s shot found its way through several skates and past Jones to make it 2-0 with 2:07 remaining in the first. It was the veteran center’s fourth playoff goal this season.
San Jose tilted the ice in its favor in a lopsided second period, but Binnington stopped all 11 shots the Sharks fired in his direction. Burns had the Sharks’ best scoring opportunity, but his hard shot caught the crossbar with about three minutes left in the period.
Hertl banged home a rebound off of a slap shot by Burns on the Sharks’ second power play of the game at 6:48 of the third period to cut the Blues’ lead to 2-1.
His 10th goal of these playoffs snapped San Jose’s scoreless streak of 226 minutes, 48 seconds in Game 4s in a playoff series dating to the postseason last year.
St. Louis defenseman Vince Dunn, who has played well throughout the playoffs, was hit in the face by a puck in Game 3 did not play in Game 4. He was replaced by Carl Gunnarsson.