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By Mark Emmons
memmons@mercurynews.com
 Logan Couture, like many of the Sharks' young guns, logged plenty of frequent flier miles this season on the Worcester shuttle — traveling back and forth between the AHL affiliate and San Jose.
But as the season wound down, Couture figured he would finish the year on the farm team.
"I was getting ready for the Calder Cup playoffs," Couture said.
Instead, he is staging a coming-out party in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The rookie scored two goals Thursday night to lead the Sharks to a 5-0 victory over Colorado in Game 5 of the first-round series at HP Pavilion.
"It's been unbelievable," said Couture, a 21-year-old center. "When I got the call to come up, I already was looking to see who we were going to play in the first round down there. Next thing I know, I'm stepping on the ice in an NHL playoff game. It's been a lot of fun."
The Sharks certainly think so.
Couture's first playoff goal rates as one of the biggest for San Jose so far this season. His second-period tip-in broke a scoreless tie and helped open the floodgates, as the Sharks finally solved the puzzle of Colorado goalie Craig Anderson.
By the time the period was over, the Sharks were leading 3-0 and for the first time in this series having their way with the Avalanche.
And then Couture's goal at the 10:37 mark of the third period, off a juicy rebound of a Ryane Clowe shot, extended the lead to 4-0 and chased Anderson from the game.
"It's very cool," added Couture, who scored 53 points in 42 games at Worcester this season. "It's my first two-goal game in the NHL, and it really means something, coming in the playoffs. Even scoring one goal in the playoffs is amazing. The second one was extra special."
Most of the talk about young players in this series has centered on Colorado — which features a passel of rising stars including 19-year-old rookie sensation Matt Duchene.
But Couture also has been showing why the Sharks made him the ninth pick overall in the 2007 draft. Couture was promoted for good in mid-March, and his statistics for the year in San Jose were modest — 5 goals and 4 assists in 25 games.
Still, coach Todd McLellan was calling him one of the Sharks' most dynamic players.
"He's given our team a spark, and he deserves to play every minute he gets," McLellan said earlier in the series.
Couture proved why Thursday while centering a line with Dany Heatley and Manny Malhotra.
Throughout the first 30 minutes, the Sharks once again had dominated the puck and peppered Anderson with shots.
But they couldn't beat him until the 8:25 mark of the second period. That was when Couture put on the brakes in front of the crease as he watched Patrick Marleau fire a cross-ice pass to Heatley — who then unloaded a one-timer.
Couture deftly deflected it past Anderson.
"I just drove the net, and then I saw Patty stop and throw a pass to Heater," Couture said. "I don't know if he took a shot or if it was a shot-pass, but he put it right on my stick."
Suddenly, the previously red-hot Anderson seemed beatable as the Sharks quickly followed with goals by Joe Pavelski and Dwight Helminen. And the rout was on.
"We're excited for him," Devin Setoguchi said of Couture. "He's been putting in the work ever since he came up. He's been doing a great job for us, and he was rewarded with a couple of goals out of it."
Before Game 1, Couture said that he was just hoping to help the Sharks "do something special."
So, did this count?
"It's a good start," Couture answered. "Hopefully it's a long journey for us in these playoffs."
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