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SAN JOSE — Kevin Labanc scored with 1:39 left in overtime, propelling the Sharks into first place in the Pacific Division.
Labanc scored the decisive goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday by burying a seam pass from Logan Couture, allowing the Sharks to complete their four-game homestand at SAP Center with a perfect record.
Martin Jones made 18 saves to secure the win that catapulted the Sharks past the Calgary Flames by a single point in the Pacific Division standings.
The Sharks carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to a two-goal opening frame from Timo Meier.
After the Blues opened the scoring with a power play goal at 10:35 of the first, Meier scored a pair of goals less than three minutes apart, recording his fifth two-goal game of the season.
Meier scored his first on the power play at 16:23, just the third goal that the Blues penalty kill had surrendered in 32 shorthanded chances. The Sharks forward buried a pass from Joe Thornton as he skated through the slot, giving him goals in four straight games. With the primary assist, Thornton picked up his 1,467th career point, tying Stan Mikita for 14th place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list.
He recorded his 26th goal with just 26.7 seconds left in the first stanza, beating Jake Allen with a forehand-to-backhand move after Couture found him alone in front by zipping a backhanded pass through two defenders. With the tally, Meier set a single-season NHL record for most goals by a Swiss-born player.
The Blues tied the game by scoring a power play goal with just 2.1 seconds left in the middle period. After Barclay Goodrow intercepted Brayden Schenn’s cross-ice pass in front, the Blues forward swooped in and brushed the puck off his stick, sliding it into the Sharks net in the process.
Labanc suited up for his 200th NHL game.
The Sharks will return to action on Monday, kicking off a quick two-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild.
