Eklund completes 1st NHL hat trick in OT, lifts Sharks past Blues
Cooley gets 1st NHL win for San Jose, which sweeps season series
By
Lou Korac
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
Eklund broke out along the left side into a 2-on-1 and beat Joel Hofer with a wrist shot just inside the top of the left circle. The goal came 70 seconds after the Blues failed to convert on a power play.
"It's surreal," Eklund said. "I feel like we stick together even when we face adversity and I feel like today we stepped up big time."
Devin Cooley made 34 saves for his first NHL win for the Sharks (18-50-8), who won for just the second time the past 13 games (2-10-1), both against St. Louis.
San Jose swept the season-series against the Blues, outscoring them 12-3.
"A lot of peaks and valleys emotionally," San Jose coach David Quinn said. "... Obviously, we didn't get off to a great start, sloppy first period, too many penalties, and then I thought our penalty kill was huge, gave us a chance to stay in the game. I thought we played a good second period. Our power play was certainly opportunistic. ... Huge, huge kill in the overtime obviously and just a great shot by Eklund."
Cooley was playing in his third NHL game after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on March 8. He was 0-1-1 with a 4.62 goals-against average and .852 save percentage in his first two starts.
"That's such an unbelievable feeling," Cooley said. "If you would have told me two months ago that I'd be sitting here in my hometown talking to you guys after my first NHL win, I would have been like, 'You guys are crazy, not a chance.' It's insane and I feel so good right now."
Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues (40-32-5), who have lost two straight. Hofer made 22 saves, and Robert Thomas had two assists.
St. Louis is seven points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
"I thought we were good in the first and the second and maybe some frustration after our power plays in the second, then we start trying different things in the neutral zone, force plays that aren't there, didn't play it behind their [defense]," Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "Now all of the sudden we're playing more in our end, we take a couple penalties and they capitalize on the power play."
Kyrou cut it to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 3:21 of the third period, skating into the high slot and beating Cooley through traffic.
"Me and [Pavel Buchnevich] had a little give-and-go there," Kyrou said. "I just decided to step in the slot and shoot it. Nice screen by 'Schenner.'"
Schenn tied it 2-2 at 17:31 after the Blues pulled Hofer for an extra skater. Following a face-off win, the puck went down low to Thomas, who found Schenn in the slot for a one-timer.
Eklund made it 1-0 at 14:42 of the second period on a power play, scoring with a one-timer from the right circle into the top left corner off a pass from Henry Thrun.
Eklund's second power-play goal of the game made it 2-0 at 16:59. He scored to the right of the goal during a scramble for a loose puck in the crease.
The Blues, who lost 4-0 at home to the Sharks on March 30 and 5-1 on Nov. 16, started off the game outshooting San Jose 13-5. They were 1-for-6 on the power play, including failing to convert on a four-minute man-advantage that spanned the first and second period.
"Obviously frustrating," St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We put a lot of pucks towards the net. No real answer off the top of my head. Not a great season series (against San Jose) obviously for sure. There's no secret to that."
NOTES: It was also Eklund's first multigoal game in the NHL. ... Sharks forward Collin Graf had one shot on goal in 13:36 in his NHL debut after signing as an undrafted free agent Thursday out of Quinnipiac University. ... Blues defenseman Justin Faulk and forward Jake Neighbours each left in the second period with an upper-body injury, and Bannister said after the game each will be evaluated on Sunday prior to their game against the Anaheim Ducks. ... St. Louis scratched veteran forward Kevin Hayes and defenseman Torey Krug. Hayes had not missed a game this season.
