Blues handle Sharks 6-3 to even series

The Sharks’ first-ever conference finals series advantage was a short one, lasting all of one game, and suddenly the specter of playoff flops past looms anew.

The Blues overwhelmed San Jose 6-3 in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Saturday, ending San Jose’s six-game home winning streak and evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.

The Sharks, whose skills appeared so superior just two evenings before, were a mess for the first two periods at SAP Center, with 19 giveaways overall and ineffective special-teams play.

Sharks goalie Martin Jones was pulled hallway through the second period, but his teammates said he bore no blame for the Blues jumping to a 4-0 lead.

The series resumes in St. Louis on Monday, the Blues regaining the home-ice edge in what now amounts to a best-of-three series.

Jones, who Thursday became the first Sharks goalie to record back-to-back shutouts in the postseason, saw his scoreless streak end at 156:59 early in the first period.

With Brent Burns in the penalty box for tripping, Robby Fabbri, on the goal line, found Troy Brouwer in front for a one-timer that beat Jones stick side at 6:14.

The Blues got several whacks at the puck and Jones made a terrific stop on Fabbri’s attempt from the left of the goal, but as Burns tried to knock the puck out of the crease with Jones out of position, it trickled to Lehtera in the slot for an easy tap-in.

The Blues’ third goal, at 6:09 of the second, came on a complete San Jose breakdown, an errant power-play pass from Joe Thornton in the Blues’ zone sailing from the one side of the ice to the other, where Jaden Schwartz scooped it up.

Schwartz headed the other way on a two-on-one and slipped the puck past lone defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic to Kyle Brodziak, coming down the right side for Brodziak’s first goal of the playoffs.

When you give a good team a 2-0 lead and a shorthanded goal, that’s pretty much it.

In all, the Sharks were 0-for-5 on the power play and they killed just two of the Blues’ four power plays.

Brodziak and the Blues’ fourth line got another goal less than four minutes later on a nice feed from behind the net from Dmitrij Jaskin, and Jones — so sensational all postseason — was pulled for James Reimer.

San Jose didn’t score until 1:05 into the third period when the team’s top line launched a sustained attack on the Blues’ net, finally converting when Thornton sent a pass from the top of the left circle to Pavelski just to the right of the goal.

St. Louis made it a four-goal game again less than three minutes later, with Joel Ward in the penalty box for a delay of game, as Brouwer scored on a deflection.

Chris Tierney scored with 13:03 left, his fourth goal of the postseason, and the Sharks got several more excellent scoring chances and outshot the Blues 16-5 in the period.

Some late fisticuffs earned five-minute penalties for Brenden Dillon of the Sharks and Carl Gunnarsson of the Blues and game misconducts for Wingels and Alex Steen of the Blues.