(AP) -- Brian Elliott made 24 saves, B.J. Crombeen and Andy McDonald scored and the St. Louis Blues moved onewin away from the second round of the playoffs, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in Game 4 on Thursday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
Patrik Berglund and David Perron each assisted on both goals for the Blues, who can win their first playoff series since 2002 by beating the Sharks in Game 5 at home Saturday night.
San Jose played well for long stretches, especially in the second and third period, but once again struggled to score against St. Louis' stingy defense that allowed the fewest goals ever in an82-game season.
Joe Thornton broke the shutout with 1:07 remaining, but the Sharks couldn't get the equalizer.
The Sharks are in danger of being knocked out in the first round after making it to the Western Conference final the previous two seasons.
They need to win three straight games against a team they have beaten once in eight tries this season.
(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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