BLUES 3, SHARKS 1: T.J. Oshie scored the go-ahead goal late in the first period and added an assist as St. Louis completed a successful road trip by sweeping the season series from San Jose.

Andy McDonald and Kevin Shattenkirk added power-play goals in helping the Blues go 5-1-0 on their six-game jaunt. The win moved them into a tie with Detroit for first place in the Central Division.

Torrey Mitchell scored the lone goal for the Sharks, who dropped all four meetings against St. Louis this season. San Jose has just two wins in its past nine games.

Sharks head coach Todd McLellan was not behind the bench for a third straight game because of concussion-like symptoms stemming from being struck in the head by a stick during a contest last week.

The Blues took advantage of a fortuitous bounce for their first goal when McDonald scored with the man advantage 2:52 into the game. Shattenkirk’s initial shot hit awkwardly behind the boards, drawing Antti Niemi out of position as the puck slid back in front of an empty net for the easy finish.

The teams then traded goals over a wild 20 seconds with five minutes remaining in the period. Mitchell scored his first goal in 20 games when he wristed a puck on net that went through traffic and beat Jaroslav Halak. Oshie answered right back, beating a screened Niemi with a tip-in off Carlo Colaiacovo’s low, skipping shot for the 2-1 edge.

Shattenkirk made it 3-1 with a tally at 12:38 of the second. Oshie skated from behind the net and had his shot turned away, but the loose puck was cleaned up by Shattenkirk for his ninth of the campaign.

Halak needed to make only 18 saves to remain unbeaten his last five starts.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Sharks second-leading scorer Logan Couture returned after having missed two games with a lower-body injury. He played 20 minutes. ... Alex Pietrangelo had a pair of assists. ... St. Louis has now killed off the past 15 power plays.