Sharks draw first blood with 2 OT win vs. Blues in Game 1

ST. LOUIS -- Martin Havlat returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him nearly half the season just in time for the San Jose Sharks' playoff push.

He pushed his team over the top in the opener.

Havlat scored his second goal of the game 3 minutes, 34 seconds into the second overtime to give the Sharks a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their playoff series Thursday night.

"The boys were in the hunt for the playoffs and I'm glad I could help them get in," said Havlat, who had five points in the last four games. "I got to know the boys a little bit more on the ice, and I was ready to help them in this first game.

"Now we're in the playoffs, and I'm excited."

Andrew Desjardins tied it for San Jose with 5:16 left in regulation, banging in a one-timer from the slot from Tommy Wingels. Dan Boyle had two assists. Antti Niemmi, who won a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, made 40 saves -- 14 of them in the first overtime.

"There was no panic on the bench, that's for sure," Sharks forward Ryane Clowe said. "You don't want to get too uptight and panicky and think it's not going to happen.

"Getting out of the first overtime and having a good conversation about what we needed to do and how we should have lots left to give helped us."

The Sharks capitalized on mistakes for the winning goal. The Blues failed a couple times to clear the puck before Havlat swatted in a one-timer from the high slot off a pass from Clowe.

Havlat said the puck was rolling and that he just wanted to put it on net.

"It was a great feeling," Havlat said. "My first thought was that it was time to get some rest."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock loved the effort in his team's first playoff game since 2009, except for the final sequence.

"There was a lot of errors on that goal. We had it cleared three or four times, didn't win a race to the boards, either," Hitchcock said. "So, disappointing."

Patrik Berglund scored his first two career playoff goals in the third period for the Blues, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

St. Louis swept the regular season series 4-0 for the first time since 1994-95 and lost only six games in regulation at home during the regular season.

The Blues dropped the last two, however, to Phoenix and Columbus after clinching the Central Division.

Game 2 is Saturday night in St. Louis, and the Blues will be seeking their first postseason victory since 2004.

"We believe we can beat these guys," Berglund said. "We'll regroup and see what we can do better."

While the Blues struggled at the finish of the regular season, going 4-4-3, the Sharks won four in a row and seven of nine.