Joe Thornton paid a high price for what he believed was a clean check. So did the San Jose Sharks, who have trouble mustering offense these days even with their scoring leader on the ice.
David Perron recovered from Thornton's elbow to the head with a goal that helped the St. Louis Blues win their sixth in a row at home to start the season in a 2-0 victory Thursday night.
"I asked the guys who hit me actually, because I didn't know who it was," Perron said. "Obviously, Joe's not a dirty player. It's good I got to score a goal and it was a big one for us."
Thornton, who has 15 points in 12 games, didn't think he did anything wrong. Just the same, he missed the last 34:31.
"I felt like I established myself on the ice," Thornton said. "I just braced myself for the hit. He just ran into me, to be honest with you."
Perron scored his fifth goal of the season late in the second period for a two-goal cushion, swatting in a backhander after T.J. Oshie's shot deflected off a defenseman's leg. Third-line checker Matt D'Agostini got his fifth in the first.
The Blues extended their franchise record to 12 wins overall in a row at home despite going 0-for-6 on the power play. Most of last season, St. Louis had one of the worst home records in the NHL.
"For some reason, it's the home of the Blues at the end of the National Anthem," forward David Backes said. "It's a great way to reward our fans the way we haven't the past couple of years."
Alex Pietrangelo assisted in both goals for the Blues, who have won five in a row overall and have 16 points through the first 10 games, the secondbest start in franchise history and only one point behind the 2002-03 season.
Halak made his sixth straight start and was sharp in net, stopping a handful of shorthanded chances. Halak, the Blues' big offseason acquisition, built on a sterling October when he was 6-1-1 with a 1.71 goals-against average in October.