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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – The St. Louis Blues didn't expect to
throw their game plan out the window this early in the playoffs.
The San Jose Sharks just didn't give them much choice.
|  | | The Blues' Dallas Drake, bottom, scores a goal on Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov. |
Dallas Drake scored twice and Scott Young had three assists
Monday night to lead a remarkable offensive charge as the Blues
claimed a 6-3 victory over the Sharks and a 2-1 lead in their
first-round playoff series.
After scoring three goals in their first two games against San
Jose, the Blues abandoned their defense-first mentality and
exploded for six goals on just 22 shots. St. Louis indirectly gave
all the credit to a leaky San Jose defense that presented the Blues
with a wealth of scoring opportunities.
"It was just a totally different game," Young said. "They
came out running around a bit because they were overly excited, and
it opened up a lot of the ice for us. We were able to get a couple
of goals, and we held on."
Pierre Turgeon had a power-play goal and two assists for the
Blues, who rebounded from their scoreless performance in Game 2
with two periods of relentlessly aggressive hockey. It couldn't be
matched by the Sharks, who gained plenty of adrenaline but no
composure from their deafening home crowd.
Scott Mellanby, Jochen Hecht and Cory Stillman also scored as
St. Louis torched rookie goalie Evgeni Nabokov, who shut out the
Blues two days earlier but showed his playoff inexperience in a
shaky performance.
The rest of the Sharks also shouldered blame as the Blues
outskated, outchecked and generally outworked San Jose. St. Louis
scored the first three goals and had a 5-2 lead after two periods.
"They came out early and got that 3-0 lead, and we were out of
it quick," said Tony Granato, who scored the Sharks' last goal.
"They got us back on our heels right away. We weren't able to
respond until it was too late."
The series began with two defense-oriented games: a 3-1 win for
St. Louis in Game 1 and San Jose's 1-0 victory Saturday. But the
tone dramatically changed in the first period. With four churning
lines controlling play, St. Louis scored two goals in the first
4:16 and added another 9 1/2 minutes later, putting the Sharks on
their heels.
Young, who scored six goals in St. Louis' seven-game loss to the
Sharks in last season's playoffs, set up scores for Mellanby, Drake
and Turgeon with his relentless forechecking and clever passing.
"That's the difference in the game tonight: bangers, pluggers
and grinders like (Young and Mellanby)," San Jose coach Darryl
Sutter said.
Scott Thornton, whose breakaway goal was the only score in Game
2, got his second goal for the Sharks in an outstanding
performance. Vincent Damphousse had a short-handed goal.
"There's no excuse. I don't know what the answers are,"
Thornton said. "We went over everything. We were prepared."
The Sharks took 38 shots against Roman Turek, but they had few
quality scoring chances. Turek, whose play took much of the blame
for the Blues' first-round playoff exit last season, was strong
during two San Jose power plays in the third period.
Before the third, Nabokov was replaced by fellow rookie Miikka
Kiprusoff, who didn't face a shot. The Blues' only third-period
shot came on Drake's empty-net goal. With Game 4 scheduled for
Tuesday night, the Sharks must hope Nabokov rebounds in time to
prevent St. Louis from claiming a two-game lead.
"He just wasn't on top of his game. He didn't bounce back,"
Sutter said of Nabokov.
Both teams' big late-season acquisitions didn't make the
scoresheet. Teemu Selanne generated a few San Jose scoring chances
and Keith Tkachuk played a strong two-way game, but neither star
could get free from defenses keyed on stopping them. Selanne has
just one shot in three games.
The Blues' first goal came on a power play after an
opening-minute hooking call on Marcus Ragnarsson. Turgeon found
Young with a cross-ice pass, and Mellanby deflected Young's shot --
though not intentionally -- past Nabokov just 2:31 in.
"I'm just glad I got hit in the shoulder, not the face,"
Mellanby said.
The second goal came two minutes later at the end of a long
cycle in which the Sharks were always a step slow. Pavol Demitra,
alone behind San Jose's net, passed out to Hecht, who beat Nabokov
with an expertly placed slap shot and silenced the Sharks' fans.
Game notes
San Jose again played without defenseman Gary Suter, who got a head
injury in the opening minutes of Game 1. The Sharks are mum on his
condition. ... NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended the game. ...
Before the game, San Jose recalled eight players from its Kentucky
affiliate, which has been eliminated from the AHL playoffs. The
players include center Jim Montgomery, who played large portions of the
season in San Jose, and highly touted goalie Vesa Toskala. ... Granato's
goal was his first since Jan. 1.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
San Jose Clubhouse
Sharks-Blues Series Page
RECAPS
Pittsburgh 3
Washington 0
Toronto 3
Ottawa 2
Philadelphia 3
Buffalo 2
St. Louis 6
San Jose 3
Colorado 4
Vancouver 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Some great puck handling by Cory Stillman leads to a Scott Mellanby goal.
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Niklas Sundstrom centering pass to Scott Thornton puts San Jose on the board
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A great centering pass by Scott Young leads to a Dallas Drake short-handed goal.
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The Blues get two quick goals by Scott Mellanby and Jochen Hecht early in the first period.
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The Sharks' Tony Granato skates into the zone and scores on his second attempt.
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 Scott Mellanby talks with the National Hockey Night crew after the Blues' victory over San Jose.
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