ST. LOUIS -- The Sharks were victimized by one of the only two penalties they took in the Western Conference final opener Sunday night at Scottrade Center.
Sixty-eight seconds after Logan Couture was called for tripping Robby Fabbri, David Backes scored on a redirect of a shot toward the net by Kevin Shattenkirk to give the St. Louis Blues a one-goal lead with 4:56 to go in the first period.The Sharks were stressing earlier Sunday the importance of staying out of the penalty box against a Blues power play that's been almost as good as their own through the first two rounds of the playoffs.