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Sharks leave it all on the ice – but it still wasn’t enough |
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The San Jose Sharks did a lot of things right in game five and even led for the first time since game one, but the St. Louis Blues found a way to come back and end the Sharks season.
The Sharks fell 4-1 in the series and 3-1 in game five. After playing nearly two scoreless periods Joe Thornton got his team on the board with less than a minute to play in the second.
The Sharks can exit their season with their heads held high because they left it all on the ice. The team didn’t ever mail it in. There were times when they didn’t play well but it was never from a lack of effort.
The Blues Jamie Langenbrunner got his team on the board on what looked like an innocent play but ended being the breaking point of the game. Niemi was unable to handle a routine shot from the side and Langenbrunner beat Justin Braun to the rebound to tie the game at one and revive the crowd at the Scott Trade center in St Louis. David Perron and Andy MacDonald rounded out the scoring for the Blues the last one came on an empty net.
The Sharks cleaned up their penalty kill for game five by stopping the Blues on two chances, but were unable to get their power play going on their two opportunities.
Niemi will want the rebound he gave up that led to the Blues first goal back but besides that he was great the whole series including Saturday night. The score could have been much worse than 3-1 if not for Niemi’s clutch saves. He also had some help from the post as he heard it ring three times but that is the way it goes sometimes.
“In the first ten or fifteen minutes he made some incredible saves that we needed in a tough building to play in” is how Todd McLellan answered the question about Niemi’s performance.
The Sharks came up against the organization that won the Jennings Trophy which goes to the team with the most wins by both goalies.
The Blues started with Jaroslav Halak and after he went out with injury their All-Star Brian Elliott took over and he was stingy. He brought his .940 save percentage into the series and stopped 93 of 98 shots he faced.
“They have a tandem of goaltenders who can play and are very effective” responded Sharks Coach Todd McLellan when asked about the change in net minders. “They tend goal as a team, and that allows those two guys to be as effective as they are.”
The Blues deserve a lot of credit for winning four straight against San Jose especially with the young players they have on the roster and the lack of playoff experience they possess.
The Sharks had better looks in this game than they have had in the previous four. They got some good shots off from the high slot and were able to find a soft spot. Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Justin Braun, and Ryane Clowe all had good looks, but no goals or even rebounds came from them.
This was San Jose’s best outing since game one of the series as far as scoring opportunities goes. I was surprised that the Blues didn’t put a stop to the shots from the slot because they seem to iron out all wrinkles in their own zone.
“We were there we had the chances and we didn’t do it” was how Joe Pavelski put it after the game.
Patrick Marleau played his best game of the series and was recognizable on the defensive side of the puck but was still unable to make a difference in the offensive zone.
Scoring Details
1st Period
No scoring
2nd Period
SJ – 19:19 –EV – 19 J.Thornton(2) – assists – 34 D.Winnik(1), 17 T.Mitchell(1)
3rd Period
STL – 11:16 –EV – 15 J.Langenbrunner(1) – assists – 12 S.Nicol(1), 17 V.Sobotka(1)
STL – 12:01 –EV – 57 D.Perron(1) – assists - 27 A.Pietrangelo(2), 74 T.J Oshie(3)
STL – 19:21 –EV-EN – 10 A.MacDonald – assist – 21 P.Berglund(4)
The turning point in this game was the Blues first goal which was scored by the fourth line. The Blues found life after that scoring just 0:45 later to take the lead and from there they never looked back.
Contenders & Pretenders
Contenders
The St Louis Blues – organization deserves to be on this list for the entire season they had and the Kahunas they showed making the coaching change they did, and for firing a man whose team was playing 500 hockey when he was let go. Congratulations to the Blues and their fans.
Joe Thornton – has been the best Shark all year long and in the post-season. Game five was no different, Thornton was great again and continues to prove that he can lead by example.
Pretenders
I was taught never to kick a man when he is down and now that the season for the Sharks is over kicking any individuals is pointless. Therefore there are no pretenders from game five.
Keep your eyes posted onto hockeybuzz.com for the report cards and many more blogs on the team’s long off-season coming out in the days and weeks to follow.
Keep your sticks on the ice,
Cam Gore
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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