Pavelski leads the playoffs with 12 goals and has three two-goal games, one in each series.
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Joe Pavelski was the offensive star of the game for San Jose as he scored twice including the tying and winning goal. Thornton has six assists and Hertl has three goals and four points. Pavelski has points in all but three games this postseason, and he extended his point streak to six after two goals and an assist in Game 5. For the San Jose Sharks, up 3-2 in the Western Conference finals, it’s a chance to make franchise history. Less than 60 percent of San Jose’s goals have resulted from even-strength play, and the Blues have registered 85 shots on goal against Martin Jones in 5-on-5 situations throughout the series. One win, and all that those soul-crushing losses by veterans Thornton and Patrick Marleau, all that shuffling of the captaincy between those two and Joe Pavelski, could be in the rearview mirror.
As a byproduct, special teams enhancements could not only create more scoring opportunities for the Blues, but limit the Sharks from being able to bite back into games. The Blues faced elimination in each of the first two rounds – but those were both Game 7 scenarios, where the other team had to deal with the relentless pressure of trying to keep their season alive as well. Backes was a game-time decision but the power forward managed to play despite suffering an upper body injury in Game 4.
“He’s gotten himself too far away from the play, he’s gotten himself too stretched out, and we just need him to come back to the puck”.
Following their big third-period effort in Game 5, team teal can eliminate the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 tonight when the two teams square off at SAP Center. You can certainly add Lombardi among the many people admiring what’s happening with Marleau and his team, despite the fact his Kings are heated rivals. At age 36 he runs the best power play left in the National Hockey League playoffs, and still controls the play at crucial times in the game with his unbelievable reach and body position. “I believe it’s coming if you just don’t think about it”. We need him to just act like a worker.
Since 1982, a team that has trailed 3-2 in a conference final has gone onto win the series seven out of 35 times, per TSN. Their opponents, the St. Louis Blues, have been fortunate enough to play each series in their own zone.
Don’t be surprised if St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock decides to switch goaltenders once again on Wednesday and go back to Brian Elliott.
Hitchcock said Tarasenko needs to simplify his game while playing against Vlasic.
“When you have a guy like Roman Polak, whose job is to punish the team on the ice, you’re going to deal with some of that”.
St. Louis’ Jaden Schwartz snapped a 13-game goal drought to tie it on a rebound at 7:04 of the first.
The facts are, Thornton has averaged 0.78 points per game in his playoff career, and is almost a point per game through 1,367 regular season games.
“I think he’s going to be great tomorrow”, Hitchcock said. He will get a lot of Conn Smythe consideration should the Sharks win Lord Stanley’s Cup.
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“Well, we’re not anywhere near where we want to get to yet”.
