Pavelski leads the playoffs with 12 goals and has three two-goal games, one in each series. (San Jose added two empty net goals late).
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With 1:27 remaining in the second period, standout Joe Pavelski tied the game at 3 on the power play, giving the Sharks momentum for the rest of the game. Allen was in net for the Blues’ 6-3 win in Game 4, but then gave up four goals on 25 shots Monday in a 6-3 defeat in Game 5.
The Blues and Sharks will play Game 6 on Wednesday night at 8 in San Jose. Furthermore, the Sharks have outshot the Blues 21-14 when both are on the ice in five-on-five situations.
Game 3 – Saturday, June 4. “They’re not there. You just got to stay in the program and stay with it a little bit longer and trust your work”, Hitchcock said. “If you play a good game like tonight you want to ride that, you want to stay with that”.
“This has been Brian’s playoffs”, head coach Ken Hitchcock said, referring to Elliott.
Fresh off a Game 7 loss that capped a 3-0 series collapse to the rival Los Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the 2014 playoffs, the face of the San Jose Sharks for nearly two decades was asked how this defeat would feed into the perception of his team being perennial playoff underachievers.
Upshall is one of the few Blues to have played in a game like this before.
Facing elimination in Game 6, the Blues will turn back to Brian Elliot in goal. Not only are the Blues behind this total in the Western Conference Finals by almost 5 percent, but the Sharks have the best playoff rate of power play plus penalty kill at 108.3 percent.
If the Blues are really looking to “extend” and then win at the end, then you can expect them to spend the first two periods concentrating more on frustrating the Sharks’ puck movement and counter-attacking when the opportunity arises.
The goal was assisted by Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl, and it honestly was not Allen’s fault. In Game 5, the Sharks stepped up in the 3rd to pull away with a 6-3 victory and a 3-2 series lead. He also assisted on San Jose’s second goal. The Sharks are one game away from their first appearance in the finals while the Blues are one loss away from being done.
Count Pavelski among those who realize the task isn’t almost complete and realizes the Blues are going going to be a tough out, especially after surviving two elimination games already this spring in Game 7 victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars.
On the back end, Vlasic is showing why he’s considered the top shutdown defenseman in the National Hockey League, keeping Blues top scorer Vladimir Tarasenko off the scoresheet completely. Pavelski is also making his goals count; he’s scored four game-winners. “If we play it like a long evening, good things are going to happen”.
Game 6 is back at the Shark Tank. Tampa Bay has held Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby scoreless in each of the last two games.
It’s not like this was a lopsided decision in Game 5 either. Just look at this graphic I made last night after the game (in between watching fireworks for the holidays. that’s right, I have a life). But the way they’ve been playing in this series is unlike any other Sharks team to date.
“We just keep coming”.
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Click on the “Listen” button above to hear Mah andMike Potenza, the strength and conditioning coach for the San Jose Sharks, discuss the team’s sleep strategy.
