2019.05.21 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 6 WCF – Video Highlights
2019.05.21 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 6 WCF – Video Highlights
Sharks Singing the Blues – St. Louis march to Stanley Cup Final
St. Louis Blues Colton Parayko (55) and San Jose Sharks’ Joonas Donskoi (27) shake hands following Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference final series Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in St. Louis. The Blues won the game 5-1 to take the series 4-2. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
2019.05.21 – Blues’ David Perron had a goal and an assist, Jordan Binnington picked up his franchise-record 12th playoff win, and the San Jose Sharks were left behind singing the Blues, eliminated by St. Louis with a 5-1 win in Game 6 of the Western Conference final.
Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said it was a matter of confidence.
“We all bought in and eventually we figured out just how good we can be,” he said. “It’s a tight-knit group. But that adversity, it made us work harder for each other.”
“We always had the talent,” said Doug Armstrong, the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Blues. “But we were finding ways to lose games instead of winning them. They turned it around and just haven’t stop going.”
The Blues coach Craig Berube gave his team credit for working its way through a coaching change and several months of disappointing play.
“We were trying to get on the right track,” Berube said. “Once we got going in January and February, I knew we had a good hockey team. Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen — and it did.”
For the Sharks lack of offense became it’s main problem, great while putting up 12 goals during the first three games of the Western Conference final against the St. Louis, but production dwindled to a mere two goals in the final three games of the series. The Sharks started fast but faded over the final three games.
“You have a great team over there, they play hard,” said defenseman Brent Burns. “They play tight, they have a great goalie. There was just not a lot out there. We had to work for everything. We were working, it seemed like we couldn’t get that break. I thought we had a lot of really good chances tonight. Missed opportunities.”
Making the offensive woes even tougher in Tuesday’s Game 6, the Sharks offense was missing offensive threats Erik Karlsson (groin), Tomas Hertl (upper body) and Joe Pavelski (upper body).
“We battled hard,” said Sharks center Logan Couture. “We’re missing three guys that play a lot of minutes for us, three very, very good players in the NHL. We were in a tough spot but I thought we played extremely hard.”
Left winger Evander Kane, who scored scored 30 goals in the regular season, was held scoreless and had only one assist in the series. He had several good scoring chances in Tuesday’s game but couldn’t break out of his slump.
“They don’t give you a whole lot, “said Kane. “Throughout the course of a series, you get a lot of opportunities but they’re right on top of you. Chances were tough to come by. We didn’t create enough opportunities. We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”
Dylan Gambrell scored his first career goal for San Jose, which lost for the first time in five elimination games this postseason. Martin Jones made 14 stops.
The Blues grabbed control with a fast start.
Perron tipped in Sammy Blais’ shot just 92 seconds into the game and Vladimir Tarasenko made it 2-0 with a well-placed wrist shot at 16:16.
Tarasenko got his eighth goal of the postseason just seven seconds after San Jose forward Barclay Goodrow was sent off for tripping.
Gambrell converted a breakaway along the right wing 6:40 into the second period. Joonas Donskoi set up the play with a long stretch pass.
Gambrell’s goal came just seconds after Jones stopped Pat Maroon from close range. It also stopped the Sharks’ scoring drought at 99 minutes, 32 seconds.
Brayden Schenn pushed the lead to 3-1 with a power-play goal 12:47 into the second. He pounced on the rebound of a shot by Alex Pietrangelo for his first goal in 14 games.
Tyler Bozak scored on a feed from Perron in the third period for a 4-1 lead.
Couture, the playoff league-leading goal scorer (14 goals) finished with five goals in the series but was held scoreless in the final three games.
Couture had a good scoring chance in the second period on a shot from the left face-off circle that Blues goalie Jordan Binnington kicked aside. His best scoring chance came in the third period when he got behind the Blues defense on a breakaway but Binnington made a nifty glove save.
“We didn’t score many goals, it’s pretty obvious,” said Couture. “You’re not going to win scoring zero. We had one tonight so we dried up offensively. They defended hard and we didn’t get enough around their goaltender.”
Binnington improved to 12-7 with his second straight strong effort. He made 21 saves in a 5-0 win in Game 4 on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Binnington stopped Kane on the doorstep midway through the third. He also denied Couture on a breakaway later in the period.
“It’s excitement and relief,” Binnington said. “We put in all the work. It’s pretty special. The final minutes, counting down and how loud it was in the rink, it was a special moment.”
The Sharks took a 2-1 lead in the series, but were outscored 12-2 in losing the final three games.
“I think the two hardest, heaviest teams are in the final,” San Jose coach Peter DeBoer said. “There wasn’t any room out there. And when there was — Binnington made some saves.”
Couture had four of the Sharks’ 26 shots on goal.
“When you lose this opportunity and it gets snatched away from you it’s very hard to take,” Couture said. “You’ve got to get over it.”
Sharks coach DeBoer said the Blues disrupted the San Jose offense often and consistently.
“They’re heavy, they’re hard, they’re organized,” said DeBoer. “They don’t give you any space.”
Gone once more is the dream of Stanley Cup for the Sharks. Gone too is a Hollywood matchup between Joe Thornton and the Boston team that drafted him as a teen and traded him eight years later, convinced he couldn’t lead the Bruins to the top.
The Stanley Cup remains the one thing missing from Thornton’s resume and at 39, time is running short if it exists at all.
“He’s the face of the organization, the heartbeat of the organization,” De-Boer said. “We’re disappointed in not helping him get there because he gives everything he’s got and he belongs there playing for the Cup.”
“We’ve played four full games of elimination hockey. You add the overtime periods, it’s probably closer to five games of elimination hockey,” De-Boer said. “So there’s no magical speech or rallying point or guys saying anything special. We’ve been here, done that, we know how to handle these type of things. The adversity of it isn’t something our group has shied away from.”
“I’m proud of our group tonight,” Coach De-Boer said. “I don’t think the score reflected the work we put in. We showed up under tough circumstances and got effort from every guy.”
UP NEXT
Well the Blues, not the Sharks, will play the Boston Bruins in the Cup final, starting May 27 in Boston.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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2019.05.19 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 5 WCF – Video Highlights
2019.05.19 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 5 WCF – Video Highlights
Schwartz Hat Trick – Sharks fall to Blues 5-0 Game 5 WCF 2-3
St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko (91) celebrates a goal with the bench in the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
2019.05.19 – Jaden Schwartz scored a hat trick and Vladimir Tarasenko added a penalty shot during a dominant second period that carried the St. Louis Blues to a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.
A remarkable turnaround for the Blues happened on Sunday with perhaps the most convincing win of a charmed playoff run.
From last in the league in early January all the way to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final in nearly a half-century, it has been quite a ride for the St. Louis.
“It’s probably tough to put into words,” Schwartz said. “It’s something that everyone’s worked for and dreamed about. You don’t want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win’s going to be. It would be a dream come true.
St. Louis used a relentless forecheck to take control of the game and series in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting the beleaguered Sharks 20-6 during the frame. It also got 21 saves from Jordan Binnington in his first playoff shutout and a first-period goal from Oskar Sundqvist to overwhelm the Sharks.
Schwartz added two goals in the third for his second hat trick this postseason, becoming the first player with two in one playoff run since Johan Franzen for Detroit in 2008.
The victory gave the Blues a 3-2 series lead, the closest they’ve been to making the final since getting there in their first three seasons as the winner of the all-expansion Western Conference. St. Louis can earn its first trip back to the final since 1970 with a win at home in Game 6 on Tuesday night, an improbable journey for a team that was last in the standings on Jan. 2.
“We’re close. We’re very close right now,” forward Patrick Maroon said. “I think the guys know that. It’s in the back of their heads, but we know that that’s a good hockey team over there too and they’re not going to give up.”
Martin Jones made 35 saves for the Sharks but got little help from his teammates, who have been held to one goal in losing the past two games. San Jose now faces elimination for the third straight series, having overcome a 3-1 series deficit to Vegas in the first round and winning a Game 7 at home in the second round against Colorado.
“We’ve been here before,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “Had to go on the road and win in Vegas in order to get to a Game 7. You’re never comfortable when your back’s against the wall like that, but we have been here before and found a way and I’m confident we can do that again.”
San Jose got off to a spirited start in the rare afternoon contest that led to a more subdued crowd than usual at the Shark Tank. Evander Kane hit the post just 12 seconds into the game and the Sharks had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes despite falling behind 1-0 when Sundqvist converted a turnover from a hobbled Erik Karlsson into a goal less than six minutes into the contest.
Karlsson has been hampered by a groin injury that sidelined him for 27 of the final 33 games in the regular season and has been extremely limited since the third period of Game 4. He tried to make a quick outlet under pressure but his pass went through teammate Brenden Dillon’s skates, off the boards and right to Sundqvist, who beat Jones to give the Blues their fourth goal of the series from the fourth line.
While Karlsson’s injury issues are nothing new, Hertl was injured in the first period after a high hit by Ivan Barbashev. He played only about five minutes after that. Pavelski caught an elbow to the head from Alex Pietrangelo early in the third period, and did not return.
“We’re still alive,” Sharks center Logan Couture said. “We’ve been in this spot before, going to Vegas down 3-2 in a very difficult building. St. Louis is similar, it’s a tough building against a good team. A structured team. We scored one goal in the last two games, that’s not going to cut it. We’re not doing enough around their net or creating enough opportunities on second chances.”
The Blues took over in the second period, putting 11 shots on goal in less than five minutes. They added to the lead when Tarasenko’s shot was partially blocked. Jones then swept it away but it went right to Schwartz, who knocked it into the open net.
Schwartz added the two goals in the third, giving him 12 in the playoffs after scoring just 11 in 69 regular-season games.
“It was an off-year obviously for him in the regular season,” coach Craig Berube said. “But the guy keeps working hard. He’s not going to change his attitude. He keeps with it, he keeps working and it’s paying off now.”
The Blues kept up the pressure, leading to a breakaway by Tarasenko. He was pulled down by Brent Burns for a penalty shot and converted it with a shot high to Jones’ glove side.
The game got out of hand in the third as the Sharks took a parade to the penalty box, upset about a hit to the head of Tomas Hertl in the first period by Ivan Barbashev and a high hit to captain Joe Pavelski by Alex Pietrangelo early in the third.
“I thought we obviously took way too many penalties,” forward Logan Couture said. “You can’t come back when you’re in the box the whole period, got away from us at the end. Would have really liked us to control our emotions and given ourselves a chance.”
NOTES: Karlsson and Hertl didn’t play in the third period and Pavelski didn’t return after his hit. DeBoer gave no update on their conditions. … Tarasenko’s goal was the first converted penalty shot in the playoffs ever for the Blues. They missed their only other chance by Jimmy Roberts in 1968.
ERIK KARLSSON INJURY UPDATE: Karlsson showed a lot of heart by saying he was ready to play Game 5 on Sunday, two days after he was obvious pain in the late stages of Game 4 in St. Louis. It was reminiscent of the Sharks’ game in Boston on Feb. 26, when Karlsson felt he was ready to play again three days after he re-aggravated a groin injury in a game against Columbus.
Karlsson was injured against the Bruins, and didn’t play again until the regular season finale.
If Karlsson is done for the series, however long it may last, it wouldn’t come as a huge surprise. He played just 10 minutes and 32 seconds on Sunday, missing the entire third period.
“Hindsight’s 20-20, you know? We make those decisions based on reports we get form the player and medical, and the report was he felt he could play and get through the game,” DeBoer said of playing Karlsson. “So, you know, it’s easy to sit here and say now, ‘Yeah, sure, you have regrets.’” Karlsson’s taken a ton of punishment in this series — every hit the Blues have laid on him has been like an investment. It’s paying off. Karlsson’s turnover led to the Blues’ opening goal by Oskar Sundqvist.
UP NEXT
Game 6 is in St. Louis on Tuesday.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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2019.05.17 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 4 WCF – Video Highlights
2019.05.17 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 4 WCF – Video Highlights
Binnington Solid! Sharks lose to Blues 2-1 Game 4 WCF 2-2
20Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks scores a goal on Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues during the third period in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Enterprise Center on May 17, 2019 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
2019.05.17 – Jordan Binnington was solid, faced 30 shots and stopped all but one, to set a franchise record with his 10th postseason win this year and St. Louis edged the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Friday night to even the Western Conference final at two games apiece.
“He’s been dynamite back there for us all year and his first game he came in and had a goose egg and just took over from there,” Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said of Binnington. “It’s been fun to watch.
“He’s just doing his thing.”
Tyler Bozak and Ivan Barbashev scored in the first period for the Blues, giving Binnington all the scoring he needed.
Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks, and Martin Jones made 20 saves.
The Sharks might have been coming home with a chance to clinch their place in the Stanley Cup final had it not been for a poor start Friday. They allowed two first-period goals — actually, they contributed mightily to both — and never could make it all the way back against Blues goalie Binnington.
Sharks goalie Martin Jones made 20 saves but couldn’t catch a break on the Blues’ first two goals.
A Brent Burns clearing attempt from behind the Sharks net, with Alex Steen in his face, instead went to Ivan Barbashev along the wall. His shot toward the net appeared to be redirected by Gus Nyquist, and the puck got past Jones for a 1-0 Blues lead 35 seconds into the game.
At the 17:53 mark of the first, moments after Melker Karlsson had a glorious scoring chance stopped by Binnington, Tyler Bozak was credited with his fourth goal of the playoffs as the Blues took a 2-0 lead. After a scramble in front of the Sharks net following a shot from the point, it appeared Justin Braun inadvertently kicked the puck forward and into the San Jose net.
“We’ve got to be more ready at the start of the game, for sure,” Jones said. “With the way the last game ended, we should have known how they were going to come out and we were just a little more casual at the start of the game.”
San Jose tilted the ice in its favor in the second period, but Binnington stopped all 11 shots the Sharks sent his way. Burns had the Sharks’ best chance, hitting the crossbar with about three minutes left in the period.
“I thought that they came out hard in the second and obviously had some offensive zone time on us,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We’ve got to do a better job of not allowing them to take control of the game that way. I thought the second period, we just sat back too much. We didn’t play aggressive enough in the second period.”
Hertl banged home a rebound off of a slap shot by Burns on the Sharks’ second power play of the game at 6:48 of the third period to cut the Blues’ lead to 2-1. The goal snapped San Jose’s scoreless streak of 226 minutes, 48 seconds in Game 4s this postseason after being shut out in the first two rounds.
Jones stopped the last 13 shots he faced to keep the Sharks close.
“It was a tough first (period), obviously,” Burns said. “After that, I think we battled back there, had some good looks. I think we got better. We’re going to have to have better. That’s a great team over there. Still looking for a solid 60, I think.”
KARLSSON’S HEALTH
One major concern for the Sharks is the status of star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who was sidelined during part of the third period with an undisclosed injury.
He left the ice midway through the period and missed some key shifts before returning in the closing minutes when San Jose tried to tie it with an extra skater.
Karlsson missed all but six of the Sharks’ regular-season games with leg and groin ailments. It was unclear if the current issue is related. Coach Peter DeBoer didn’t have an update on Karlsson after the game.
NOTES: The Blues and Sharks entered the game with 42 points each in the playoffs, the most in the NHL. … Blues D Vince Dunn, who was hit in the face by a puck in Game 3, was replaced in the lineup by Carl Gunnarsson.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is in San Jose at noon on Sunday.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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2019.05.15 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 3 WCF – Video Highlights
2019.05.15 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 3 WCF – Blog
Karlsson in OT, Sharks beat Blues Game 3 WCF Series 2-1
San Jose Sharks center Logan Couture (39) scores the tying goal against St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly (90) and Jordan Binnington during the third period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference final series Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in St. Louis. The goal sent the game into overtime. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
2019.05.15 – Erik Karlsson scored 5:23 into overtime after a pass from Timo Meier, and the San Jose Sharks rallied to beat the St. Louis Blues 5-4 on Wednesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference final.
“I think we deserved to win this game,” Karlsson said. “At the end of the day I think neither team drew the shortest stick on any of the calls out there so it was a fair game.”
But it was the final sequence that likely will live on long after the series is over, possibly sparking a discussion about the NHL’s replay rules.
Meier used his right hand to knock a loose puck toward the front of the net. Gustav Nyquist then passed it over to Karlsson, who beat Jordan Binnington for his second goal of the game.
“Quick play and I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “We found a way to win a game. I thought we had a great chance just before that, Timo Meier going in. It was a game of momentum swings and those quick plays happen all over the ice. Some get called, some get missed. We found a way to win.”
Jordan Binnington and the Blues complained immediately. They felt the play should have been blown dead when Nyquist got the puck, but it continued.
The officials huddled while Karlsson and the Sharks celebrated, but the goal stood.
“It’s a non-reviewable play,” NHL Officiating Supervisor Kay Whitmore told a pool reporter. “You can read between the lines. You can figure out what you want. You watched the video. But it’s just non-reviewable. I know that sounds like a cop-out answer, but that’s the truth.”
Blues coach Craig Berube bristled when asked about what happened.
“No explanation (from the officials),” Berube said. “What do you guys think? . There’s no reason to ask me. I have nothing to say about it.”
Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in St. Louis.
“Well yeah it was a hand pass, but we’re going to try and move forward and the league is going to take care of it like they’ve done so far in the playoffs,” Blues forward David Perron said. “It’s unacceptable but it’s OK.”
Meier was not available after the game.
The Blues led 4-3 before Logan Couture tied it with 61 seconds left in regulation. Joe Thornton scored twice for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 28 saves.
Perron had two goals for St. Louis, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Steen also scored. Colton Parayko had three assists, and Binnington made 27 stops.
The Blues trailed 2-0 after one and 3-1 in the second before rallying.
Tarasenko, who faced criticism after a lackluster performance in Game 1, started the comeback with his first goal in six games at 4:05 of the second. Perron tied it by beating Jones on the stick side with a wrist shot from the left dot with 3:57 left.
St. Louis went on a power play after Brent Burns took down Oskar Sundqvist late in the period. Perron scored his second goal of the series a minute later, giving the Blues the lead with their first power-play goal in 19 chances with the man advantage.
It was Perron’s first multi-goal playoff performance in 73 games.
After an early Blues push, the Sharks grabbed control in the first.
Blues defenseman Vince Dunn departed with 8:35 left in the first after getting hit in the face by a Brenden Dillon shot, forcing St. Louis to mix and match five defensemen.
San Jose then jumped in front when Karlsson intercepted a Joel Edmundson clearing attempt and beat Binnington with a wrist shot through traffic at 13:37.
Thornton made it 2-0 with 3:02 left in the first, scoring on a backhander after Robert Bortuzzo blocked a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot.
Steen got the Blues on the board at 1:18 of the second, but Thornton answered 18 seconds later with his second goal of the game, giving him his first multi-goal playoff game over 176 games in a 22-year career.
“Game by game, it’s the playoffs,” DeBoer said. “We’ve won stunningly, we’ve lost stunningly. When you get three rounds deep, you’ve seen it all. It’s just rest and get ready for the next one.”
NOTES: The Blues and Sharks entered the game tied for first in the NHL with 38 points in the postseason from their defensemen.
UP NEXT
Game 4 at St. Louis on Friday night.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the San Jose Sharks, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
SHARKS vs. BLUES – GAME 5 – BUY TICKETS
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2019.05.13 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 2 WCF – Video
2019.05.13 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 2 WCF – Blog
Dunn, Bortuzzo fuels Blues over Sharks 4-2 (WCF 1-1)
San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture (39), middle, scores against St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (50) during the second period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals Monday, May 13, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.05.11 – Vince Dunn and Robert Bortuzzo scored second-period goals that helped the St. Louis Blues overcome another big game from San Jose Sharks’ Logan Couture with a 4-2 victory that tied the Western Conference final at one game apiece.
Dunn’s second goal of the postseason gave the Blues a 2-0 lead and Bortuzzo then added his first career playoff goal late in the period after Couture had tied the score to put wind on the SAP Center sails.
The Blues third goal in Game 2, a terrific backhanded shot by defenseman Bortuzzo at 16:34 of the second period, took the roar out of the SAP Center, and it was if Couture’s crowd-rousing outburst never happened.
“The third goal was tough,’’ Couture said. “Even scoring those two goals, we still didn’t show we had the energy to compete. Those two goals got us tied in a game where we probably didn’t deserve to be tied in the game.”
Blues’ Jaden Schwartz and Oskar Sundqvist also scored and Jordan Binnington made 23 saves to send St. Louis home tied in the series.
Couture scored his goals in a span of 1:59, giving him an NHL-leading 13 this postseason but the Sharks couldn’t get anything else and lost their third straight Game 2 after winning the series opener. Martin Jones made 21 saves.
Couture delivered a stern message in the aftermath of the loss to the Blues, castigating the Sharks for a lack of effort — a startling charge considering the Stanley Cup Final is out there on the horizon. Couture, who leads the NHL with 13 goals and 19 points this postseason, sounded the alarm about needing more help with the best-of-seven series tied.
“I don’t think we’ve been up to our capabilities for a while now,’’ Couture said. “We did just enough to beat the Avalanche, but we haven’t played our best hockey since that Vegas series.
“It’s discouraging and it’s frustrating, because we’re going to need everyone here if we’re going to beat these guys.”
Beyond the goals on the scoreboard, the Blues outhit the Sharks 35-28 and blocked more shots (20-15), while the Sharks committed more giveaways (15-12). Couture, though, was more concerned with the things that couldn’t be measured. Like effort, for example.
“They were hungry,’’ he said pointedly, “and we weren’t.”
Couture tried to take over the game for the sluggish Sharks after they fell behind 2-0 in the second period on Dunn’s point shot that beat Jones through a screen. The Blues were in position to add onto that lead after a questionable interference call against Marcus Sorensen when Couture single-handedly turned things around.
He took the puck from Alex Pietrangelo at the blue line and skated in on Binnington for the short-handed goal just 16 seconds into St. Louis’ man advantage, waking up the crowd.
Couture struck again shortly after the penalty was killed, taking a stretch pass from Timo Meier and firing a shot between the pads for the equalizer, giving him 100 career postseason points.
The Blues then answered late in the period with a pretty goal from an unlikely source. Bortuzzo passed the puck from the point to Tyler Bozak and skated in behind Joe Thornton. He then took a pass from Joel Edmundson and beat Jones with a backhander into the top corner for his first career playoff goal.
Bortuzzo added a big blocked shot in the third when Kevin Labanc got a pass in the slot with time to shoot. The Blues then killed off a power play later in the period before getting the insurance goal with 3:08 remaining when Alexander Steen fed Sundqvist on a rush for the goal that made it 4-2.
The Sharks were looking to avoid their pattern from the first two rounds when they followed up convincing Game 1 wins with losses at home in the next contest.
Coach Pete DeBoer, like Couture, was displeased by the Sharks’ mysterious lack of zest.
“You can’t ‘hope’ to win a game. You have to make sure you’re working hard enough to dictate the outcome,’’ DeBoer said. “If you’re not going to work for offense this time of year, you’re not going to get it.”
Considering the lack of energy all night, the Sharks coach didn’t even bother searching for a silver lining.
“There have been games when we’ve played really well and (still) lost,’’ DeBoer said. “Tonight wasn’t one of those.”
Couture’s 13 goals are one shy of Joe Pavelski’s franchise record set during the 2016 postseason.
“He’s been playing phenomenal,’’ Pavelski said Monday. “(You) just can see the commitment and the passion. He wants to win. We need a little bit more of that from everybody, I think.”
But the Blues were the more desperate team from the start and got the early lead when Schwartz finished off a give-and-go with Vladimir Tarasenko with a shot into the corner of the net from the face-off circle just 2:34 into the game.
St. Louis had chances to add onto that lead but Jones made a point-blank stop against Sundqvist and then was helped out when Colton Parayko’s shot went off the post. The game remained 1-0 after the first because St. Louis couldn’t convert on two power-play chances and San Jose came up empty on its chance with the man advantage.
NOTES: Since the start of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, only four players have 100 points: Sidney Crosby (123 in 115 games), Patrick Kane (109 in 111), Evgeni Malkin (106 and 113) and Couture (100 in 112).. … Schwartz has nine goals in the playoffs after scoring just 11 in the regular season.
NEXT: St. Louis at home to face San Jose for Game 3 on Wednesday night tied in the WCF series 1-1.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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2019.05.11 – SHARKS vs. BLUES 2019 Game 1 WCF Video Highlights
2019.05.11 – Sharks vs Blues – 2019 Game 1 WCF – Blog below
One Down, Seven to go! Sharks past Blues in Game 1
San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier (28) scores a goal against St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) in the second period in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Western Conference finals in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, May 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
2019.05.11 – Timo Meier showed that he is a force in his own right, scoring a deuce and setting up Logan Couture for another to send the Sharks to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Western Conference final.
On a San Jose Sharks team filled with established stars, 22-year-old Meier can get overlooked at times even though he scored 30 goals in the regular season.
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“He was a bull,” Couture said. “When he skates and his strength, he’s tough to defend. We’re fortunate enough to play with him on our line, and I thought he was really, really good. Good stick, strong on pucks, you saw the talent on the one where he was able to walk around the d-man and finish. He’s a really good player and he’s coming into his own right now.”
Meier’s hit on Alex Pietrangelo led to Couture’s goal that opened the scoring in the first period and he then scored twice in the second to give the Sharks a comfortable lead and their third straight Game 1 win this postseason.
Couture added an empty-net goal to give him an NHL-leading 11 in the postseason. Joe Pavelski and Kevin Labanc also scored for San Jose and Martin Jones made 28 saves.
“We have so many great guys on this team, so many players that are just unbelievable hockey players,” Meier said. “It’s fun to be able to play at this time of the year, and obviously have success, that’s what I’m playing for. To win a Stanley Cup.”
Joel Edmundson, Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Bozak scored for the Blues but the team gave little help to rookie goalie Jordan Binnington to get off to a rough start in the conference final. Binnington made 19 saves but was left exposed by his defense on numerous occasions.
“There were a few too many mistakes out there,” Edmundson said. “Whenever there was they capitalized on them. They really capitalized on every chance they got. That was the biggest difference of tonight’s game.”
This series is a matchup between two franchises seeking their first championships after years of playoff disappointments. They endured tough roads to get here with the Sharks needing to win a pair of seven-game series and the Blues needing a double-overtime win in Game 7 against Dallas to make it to their fourth conference final in the past 49 years.
The teams traded goals midway through the second period with Labanc converting after a turnover by Edmundson and O’Reilly answering 1:17 later with a nifty move to get around Jones and tuck a rebound into the open net.
Meier then took over with his two goals in the second half of the period that gave the Sharks breathing room. His first came after Couture poke-checked Colton Parayko coming out of the zone. Meier got the puck, deked past Jay Bouwmeester and then used his quick hands to get a backhand past Binnington.
“He’s got some good speed. He makes some good little plays out there,” Pavelski said. “Tonight it was on display for sure. When he picks it up in the neutral zone and he has the speed going, that one goal was really nice. He can definitely push the D back and generate some chances.”
Meier then got his first two-goal game in the postseason late in the period when he banked a pass from behind the goal line off Vince Dunn’s skate and into the net to make it 5-2.
Bozak scored with 6:59 left in the third for the Blues but they couldn’t get any closer despite pulling Binnington with more than four minutes remaining. Couture then sealed it with an empty-netter.
“We got caught in some turnovers and they capitalized on them,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We are too spread out, during playoff time, you have to have numbers around the puck. You have to have puck support everywhere. And we didn’t have enough support.”
Both teams expected a physical series between two teams with big players who like to get on the forecheck. That’s just the way it started with the Blues delivering several hard hits in the opening period in sharp contrast to the type of series San Jose played last round against the speedy Colorado.
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But the Sharks turned one hit of their own into an early goal as Meier separated Pietrangelo from the puck in the neutral zone to send Gustav Nyquist in on a two-on-one. Nyquist slid the puck to Couture, who one-timed it into the open net.
The Blues answered with Edmundson’s goal but then committed two penalties in a span of 57 seconds after going more than 136 minutes without one in the playoffs. That gave San Jose a two-man advantage that Pavelski converted into a goal when he batted his own rebound out of midair into the net for his second goal in as many games after missing six contests following a bloody concussion.
NOTES: Couture also had 10 goals in the playoffs in 2016, joining Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel as the only active players with at least two seasons of 10 or more postseason goals. … Blues D Carl Gunnarsson (lower-body injury) was scratched and Robert Bortuzzo played in his place.
Game 2 is Monday night at the Shark Tank.
Read more at: San Jose Sharks Media Services / More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
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