Sharks vs. Blues: Game 2 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

Brent Burns scored two power-play goals and goalie Martin Jones recorded a shutout as the San Jose Sharks evened the Western Conference Final at a game apiece after defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-0 on Tuesday at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The Sharks took to Twitter after the victory to celebrate:  

Jones stopped all 26 shots that came his way for his second shutout since May 12, when he recorded 20 saves in the Game 7 victory over the Nashville Predators.

The Sharks' radio affiliate, 98.5 KFOX, was elated after Jones' huge performance to even the series:

"

Martin Jones shutout got me like... #GameOfJones pic.twitter.com/PsTPI9RRwT

— 98.5 KFOX (@KFOX) May 18, 2016"

In Game 1, the Sharks recorded 32 shots but found the back of the net only once. It was a different story on Tuesday. Tommy Wingels scored the game's opening goal 2:07 into the first period to give San Jose a 1-0 lead, via NBCSN.

The Sharks were also ready to show off this GIF when Wingels' goal found its way past Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, who had 20 saves on the night:

The rest of the frame was up to Jones, who rebounded from a tough outing in Game 1 to stop St. Louis' first nine shots. That included this stop after Vladimir Tarasenko stole the puck from Sharks defenseman Paul Martin near the net, via NBCSN:

Actor Wil Wheaton thought Wingels' earlier goal was appropriate, considering the easy goal Jones allowed in Game 1 that wound up being the game-winner:

The Sharks carried their aggressive play over into the second frame, recording three more shots than the Blues.

One of those came during the power play with 12:56 remaining in the period. Burns completed the one-time connection with a wrister past Elliott to take a two-goal lead, via NBCSN:

Liam McHugh of CBS Sports reached into the pun jar to describe the action (via Cutler Klein of Today's Slapshot):

That gave the Sharks a cushion heading into intermission. They not only held the shot advantage, but their defense cleaned up the tiny mistakes it made in Game 2 and was playing a perfect game up to this point.

Although the Sharks had four more shots, it felt as though San Jose had more of that based on how long it held on to the puck, per Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News:

The Blues were gifted an early opportunity in the third period to get on the board. Patrick Marleau was called for a high-stick penalty, which resulted in a double-minor penalty and a four-minute chance for St. Louis to cut into the lead. The Blues recorded five shots on that man advantage, but nothing came of it.

Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports thought it wasn't the best power play from the Blues:

The inability to capitalize on that five-on-four opportunity came back to haunt the Blues late in the third period. Burns' second goal of the game came with 9:02 remaining on another San Jose power play.

That goal turned out to be a historic one for the defenseman, per NHL Public Relations:

The power play favored the Sharks in this much-needed game, and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com noted the Blues could be in trouble if this continues:

The Sharks not only responded after letting Game 1 get away, but they were able to dominate once the puck dropped. Jones was stellar, ensuring San Jose heads back home for Game 3 on Thursday with a chance to control this series on home ice.

The Blues looked content with this split, knowing they at least managed to grab one win. This is the second game in a row, however, that San Jose's defense has given St. Louis problems on the attack, which is something to keep an eye on moving forward.

Postgame Reaction

After not converting on a single power play in Game 1, the Sharks made that a top priority on Tuesday.

"Guys came out with a good sense of urgency and got after it," said San Jose captain Joe Pavelski, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "It's good to see the power play strike a little bit."

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer also thinks his offense responded well in Game 2, per Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area:

Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock also feels his team didn't play all that well in Game 1, and understands the case can be made that this series shouldn't be even, per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Jones said he didn't change much after Game 1 and played the same way he's been this postseason.

"Obviously, Game 1 you don't like to lose on a goal like that, "Jones said, per the AP. "But I thought I played well other than that and wasn't about to change anything. We got the bounces tonight."