Standing in their way are a very confident and resilient St. Louis Blues team. Now they have to finish the job and don’t let it get to a win-or-go-home game 7.
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“There’s been a lot of low points, but, yeah, this is definitely one of them, being up 3-0”. He also assisted on San Jose’s second goal. “We fully expect that’s what they’re going to do”. However, he lost each of the last two Game 6s he played in. That may seem like it’s a whole lotta pressure, but not for this team.
Which made his Game 4 performance so surprising. “They’re not awarding the Stanley Cup here (Wednesday) or on (Friday), if it takes that long to go back to St. Louis”. Tonight will be his 99th of this season, nearly three times as many. Elliott started the first 17 games of the playoffs before coach Ken Hitchcock went to Allen in Game 4 in San Jose.
This is nothing new for the Blues. Hitch never shy’s away from making changes.
Sharks Power Play trips up Blues and pushes them to the brink.
The Blues led 2-1 following the first period on goals by Jaden Schwartz and Troy Brouwer before seeing the Sharks outscore them by a 2-1 margin in the second.
It’s a blueprint they hope to follow again.
This playoff run by St. Louis would not be as historic or as deep if it wasn’t for Elliott.
Elliott in 2-0 in elimination games this playoff season. He’s looking to catch the other team napping. He tied the game at three as he fired a shot past Allen after moving in from the point on a power play. He is a team-high plus-12 for the playoffs, with Braun at a plus-7. The Sharks are not a one-trick pony. Hitchcock announced on Tuesday that Brian Elliott would start in place of Jake Allen.
That is a testament the Sharks commitment to team defense and sacrificing the body, but it also speaks volumes about Jones. Besides a shaky game 4 loss in which he was pulled following 4 goals against, he has been a rock in net. His line is consistently out-possessing the opposition, too, giving the Sharks a real edge in the battle of the depth lines.
Pete DeBoer didn’t express too much concern over Jones, who is 11-6 with a 2.13 goals-against average and.
The trio has combined for six goals and 18 points in five games, led by Pavelski (three goals, eight points).
“Tonight those games are in the past”.
“I’m sure re-set him a bit”, Pietrangelo said. He’s not the first young player, especially among gifted ones, whose natural talent carried them to the National Hockey League, still on a conditioning learning curve.
He’s only been to the playoffs TWICE and 2015-16 in the SECOND!
Martin admits it would be special to be able to see longtime Sharks like Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time in their storied careers.
He is now one win away from getting back to the SCF, only this time it will be with a team from the Western Conference. San Jose is up 3-2 in the Western Conference Final.
As a fan, though, I wasn’t anxious about being down early as the Blues have a penchant for coming back in games.
Is he a mad genius or a lucky duck? Maybe he doesn’t score the next game. I’ll watch him from the boards with the other coaches. Before the 2014 season, Thornton was stripped of the team’s captaincy, an issue that lingered in the Sharks locker room for more than a year.
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And if the Blues win, I have agreed to make a donation to Covenant House Missouri whose mission is to empower youth who are disconnected to design their own path from homelessness to opportunity.
