Sharks bite Blues with late goal

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose captain Patrick Marleau stepped up in the locker room after the second period -- and the ice in yet another Sharks victory.

Marleau scored twice, including the winner with just over 5 minutes to play, in the NHL-leading Sharks' 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

"We feel like we're never out of it," Marleau said. "When we find ourselves down a couple of goals, we remind ourselves to stick with the game plan."

Sharks coach Todd McLellen said it started with the players taking responsibility.

"The leadership on this club right now is tremendous," McLellen said. "No one was letting anybody off the hook. They held themselves responsible. The coaches didn't say anything."

St. Louis Blues goalie Chris Mason, bottom left, stops a shot on goal as teammates Jay McKee (77) and Mike Weaver (43) and San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) look on during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Devin Setoguchi and Ryane Clowe scored in a 2:17 span in the third period and the Sharks overcame a two-goal deficit to remain unbeaten at home (16-0-2). Mike Grier also scored for San Jose, which hasn't lost at home in regulation in its last 27 games.

"We had a couple of huge penalty kills and then got the early goal in the third," Setoguchi said. "That changed the momentum for us."

Brad Winchester had his first career two-goal game, and B.J. Crombeen and David Backes also scored for St. Louis. The Blues have lost four straight on the road.

"When you have the lead entering the third period you have to hang onto it, Backes said. "Give them credit, they kept the pressure on and when we didn't get the 5-on-3 goal, it changed the momentum."

Rob Drake was a key factor in helping the Sharks kill off a 2-minute, two-man advantage after Setoguchi and Clowe gave them a 4-3 edge. He was on the ice for all but 32 seconds of the Blues' power play.

Sharks center Patrick Marleau celebrates his game-winning goal against the Blues during the third period.

"We need to score on that," Blues coach Andy Murray said. "We need to move the puck quicker and score when we get the chance."

Backes scored on a rush along the left board, getting by Dan Boyle and beating goalie Evgeni Nabokov for the tying goal.

Marleau stole the puck from Jay McClement deep in the Sharks' zone and put it past goalie Chris Mason for the winner.

Marleau gave the Sharks a 1-0 edge midway through the first period with a slap shot from just inside the blue line.

"He just never gives up," teammate Marcel Goc said. "He has great skill and he puts the puck in the net when you give him a chance."

St. Louis scored three goals in a 2-minute span to pull ahead 3-1.

Winchester's power-play goal came with 19 seconds left in the first period. Crombeen scored 41 seconds into the second, and Winchester scored his second goal a minute later.

Goc created the Sharks' second goal, picking up the puck along the wall and pushing it behind the net, from where he passed into a pile of players with the puck finding Grier's stick for a deflection.

"It's fun," Goc said. "We like winning and we want to keep doing it. Detroit is right there and we don't want them catching us."

Marleau dumped the puck into his own zone, got to it and found Joe Thornton, who found Setoguchi for a game-tying goal. Clowe scored off a faceoff to put the Sharks ahead and set up the final frantic 10 minutes.