The Sports Xchange
NHL Team Report - St. Louis Blues - INSIDE SHOTS
The Blues are in command after winning Games 3 and 4 at HP Pavilion, where they are now 4-0 this season.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said he wouldn't have dreamed of sweeping back-to-back games in San Jose.
"Not a chance," Hitchcock said. "I would have never thought that in a million years. This has been such a graveyard for most teams in the playoffs."
But the Blues picked up goals from B.J. Crombeen and Andy McDonald, along with 24 saves from Brian Elliott, to beat the Sharks for the seventh time in eight meetings this season.
After falling behind 1-0 in the series, following the Sharks' 3-2 win in double-overtime in Game 1, the Blues have not trailed in the series. They won 3-0 in Game 2, 4-2 in Game 3.
"We're just focusing on the game in front of us," Blues forward Andy McDonald said. "Like we talked about in Game 1, we were winning with five minutes to go in (regulation) and they came back to win in overtime. I thought we learned a lot from that game. We really elevated our play, won more battles and I think we're getting more contributions."
The Blues will have a chance to clinch their first playoff series since 2002 with a win Saturday in St. Louis.
"We definitely weren't going to talk before the game, but we wanted this situation," Blues forward David Perron said. "We've got a chance to close it up, but they're going to be coming with their best effort, wanting to have a chance to come back here. It was a good effort tonight, and we're going to need the same thing and more next game."
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NHL Team Report - St. Louis Blues - NOTES, QUOTES
--With G Jaroslav Halak on the shelf with an ankle injury, Brian Elliott has risen to the occasion. With only five postseason games on his resume prior to this season, he picked up his second playoff victory in Thursday's 2-1 win over San Jose. Elliott made 24 saves for his third victory of the season against San Jose. One highlight-reel stop came against the Sharks' Joe Pavelski, Elliott's former teammate at the University of Wisconsin. Elliott, who was pushed into the back of the net, made a dramatic save. "I stopped it with my skate blade," he said.
--The Blues' special teams have been a huge advantage in the series. The Blues were 1 for 3 on the power play Thursday, after netting three power-play goals in Game 3 Monday.
"I thought we were better on the power play tonight than when we scored three," coach Ken Hitchcock said.
The goal gave the Blues at least one on the power play in each of the four games in the series. The unit is 6 for 16 with the man advantage in the series. Meanwhile, the penalty-kill has allowed two goals on 15 Sharks power plays.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Every time Beener and a couple of other guys who don't score a bunch (get goals), you get so happy for them. They bring so much more energy to the team. It means a lot in the locker room. He steps up for his teammates when he has to. Real excited for him to score a goal today." -- C Patrik Berglund on B.J. Crombeen, who scored his second goal of the season in a 2-1 win over San Jose on Thursday.
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