Eklund completes 1st NHL hat trick in OT, lifts Sharks past Blues

William Eklund scored his first NHL hat trick, including at 3:56 of overtime for the San Jose Sharks in a 3-2 win against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday.

Eklund broke out along the left side into a 2-on-1 and beat Joel Hofer with a wrist shot just inside the top of the left circle moments after the Blues failed to convert on a power play.

"It's surreal," Eklund said. "I feel like we stick together even when we face adversity and I feel like today we stepped up big time."

Devin Cooley made 34 saves in his first NHL win for the Sharks (18-50-8), who won for just the second time the past 13 games (2-10-1), both against St. Louis. San Jose swept the season-series against the Blues, outscoring them 12-3.

"A lot of peaks and valleys emotionally," San Jose coach David Quinn said. "... Obviously we didn't get off to a great start, sloppy first period, too many penalties, and then I thought our penalty kill was huge, gave us a chance to stay in the game. I thought we played a good second period. Our power play was certainly opportunistic. ... Huge, huge kill in the overtime obviously and just a great shot by Eklund."

Cooley was playing in his third NHL game after being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on March 8. He was 0-1-1 with a 4.62 goals-against average and .852 save percentage in his first two starts.

"That's such an unbelievable feeling," Cooley said. "If you would have told me two months ago that I'd be sitting here in my hometown talking to you guys after my first NHL win, I would have been like, 'You guys are crazy, not a chance.' It's insane and I feel so good right now."

Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues (40-32-5), who have lost two straight after winning eight of 11 (8-2-1). Hofer made 22 saves, and Robert Thomas had two assists.

St. Louis moved to six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Kings played the Vancouver Canucks late Saturday.

"I thought we were good in the first and the second and maybe some frustration after our power plays in the second, then we start trying different things in the neutral zone, force plays that aren't there, didn't play it behind their (defense)," Blues coach Drew Bannister said. "Now all of the sudden we're playing more in our end, we take a couple penalties and they capitalize on the power play."

Kyrou's power-play goal at 3:21 of the third period cut the St. Louis deficit to 2-1 when he skated into the high slot and beat Cooley through traffic.

"Me and [Pavel Buchnevich] had a little give-and-go there," Kyrou said. "I just decided to step in the slot and shoot it. Nice screen by 'Schenner.'"

Schenn tied it 2-2 at 17:31 after the Blues pulled Hofer for an extra skater, won a face-off, and got a puck down low for Thomas, who found Schenn in the slot for a one-timer.

Eklund made it 1-0 at 14:42 of the second period on the power play on a one-timer from the right circle into the top left corner off a point pass from Henry Thrun.

Eklund's second power-play goal of the game made it 2-0 at 16:59 on a scramble for a loose puck at the goal mouth, and Eklund put it in from the right edge of the goal.

The Blues, who lost 4-0 at home to the Sharks on March 30 and 5-1 on Nov. 16, started off the game outshooting San Jose 13-5. They were 1-for-6 on the power play, including a four-minute one at the end of the first and into the second but failed to convert.

"Obviously frustrating," St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko said. "We put a lot of pucks towards the net. No real answer off the top of my head. Not a great season series (against San Jose) obviously for sure. There's no secret to that."

NOTES: It was also Eklund's first multigoal game in the NHL. ... Sharks forward Collin Graf had one shot on goal in 13:36 in his NHL debut after signing as an undrafted free agent Thursday out of Quinnipiac University. ... Blues defenseman Justin Faulk and forward Jake Neighbours each left in the second period with an upper-body injury, and Bannister said after the game each will be evaluated on Sunday prior to playing against the Anaheim Ducks. ... St. Louis scratched veteran forward Kevin Hayes and defenseman Torey Krug. Hayes had not missed a game this season.