With the Western Conference Finals heading to San Jose tied at one game apiece, I have to wonder if we are finally seeing the best the Sharks have to offer?
As I mentioned, the series is tied, 1-1. But it feels like the St. Louis Blues are lucky to be in this position.
By all accounts, the Sharks have been the better team. Had it not been for the stellar play of Blues' goalie Brian Elliott, this series could be 2-0 in favor of San Jose.
The Blues strategy of playing a physical high-pressure game is backfiring. St. Louis took five penalties in game 2 that led to 2 of the Sharks 4 goals. San Jose was shorthanded six times in game 2 and killed off all of them.San Jose will win this series if this series becomes a battle of the special teams.
We already know the Sharks' special teams have been great in these playoffs, but it's their play 5-on-5 play in this series that caught me off guard.
San Jose has looked more comfortable through 2 games against a very good Blues team than they did in 7 games against the Nashville Predators.
I felt very uneasy watching the games in Nashville, like the Predators could score at any moment. I never had that sense in either of the games in St. Louis.
That said, the Sharks have to stop being cute with the puck. The dump passes to open ice are a bit frustrating. So far Martin Jones has bailed them out. Eventually he's going to let one in and it could be a series changer. (looking at you Brent Burns)
BTW, I like Jones, but he is not spectacular or flashy. He's just a solid goalie that's playing his position like a poised veteran. Sometimes that's all you need to be successful this time of year.
Now the series shifts back to California and the SAP Center where the Sharks are 5-1 in the playoffs. All four wins in the Nashville series came at home. truth be told, the Sharks are playing lights out at home. Sort of comical considering how bad they were during the regular season. Those struggles are all but forgotten now because of the dominance they've displayed at the Tank.
The Blues are expected to make several changes to their lineup for game 3. It almost seems like a desperate move by Blues' coach Ken Hitchcock. Perhaps he feels like I do...the Sharks are in control of this series and they haven't even peaked yet.
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By The Numbers:
Power Play: Sharks - 2 of 8 Blues - 1 of 8
Hits: Sharks - 41 Blues - 60
Just how good have the Sharks been during this run? The numbers don't lie....
- Logan Couture is playing at another level. He leads the NHL in playoff points with 19 (7g 12a).
- Brent Burns and Couture are tied for most playoff assists with 12.
- Joe Pavelski's 9 goals leads all players in goals scored.
- Martin Jones is tied with the Penguins Matt Murray and Blues goalie Brian Elliot for the lead in playoff wins with 9.
- San Jose is averaging 3.29 goals per game. Tops in the playoffs.
- Sharks power play (30%) is the best among the four teams left (CHI 31.6%).
- Sharks penalty kill (83.3%) ranks 5th in the entire playoffs and 2nd among four teams remaining (TB 86.5%).
- Sharks rank dead last in face-offs among the 16 playoff teams. At 47% they almost a full percentage point behind Tampa Bay at 15.
- San Jose is the best puck possession team left in the playoffs at 53%.
- The Sharks have the largest goal differential in the playoffs at +16.
- Jones is tied for the most playoff shutouts with 2 (Bishop, Holtby)
- Pavelski is tied for most game-winning goals in the playoffs with 3.
- Pavelski, Couture and Burns are tied for the playoff lead in power play goals with 4. Phil Kessel and John Carlson also have 4 PPG's.
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Enjoy game 3.
Thanks for reading, Steve