Category: NHL

Sharks Win Western Conference Final 4-2

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks celebrate their first Western Conference title in franchise history with the Western Conference title Cup on Wednesday night at SAP Center

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, by defeating the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final. The 4-2 series win represents the first time the Sharks have prevailed in a conference final, the first time they will compete for the Cup.

Joe Pavelski scored the first goal of the game, Joonas Donskoi scored the fourth, Joel Ward scored the two in between and Logan Couture tidied up with an empty net goal. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues late in the third period. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 24 stops for the historic win, while Brian Elliott made 22 for the Blues.

It is the third time that some of the Sharks have been to the Western Conference Final, among these is Joe Thornton. He talked about the win after the game:

It’s a pretty cool feeling. Obviously it’s our first time here so it was pretty neat to get this done at home. Fans here have waited so long, 25 years, and we’ve waited” here he turned to verify with Patrick Marleau, “18 years or so. So it’s a great feeling. And this team, we’ve always said we’ve got a deep team and we truly believe we’ve got a deep team. And you saw tonight all twelve forwards played big parts, all six D played big parts and Joner played great. This is really truly a team effort from top to bottom.”

Patrick Marleau said he does not wonder why this group has made it so much farther than previous Sharks teams:

“We’re just enjoying the ride right now. We’ve had some really good teams over the years but like Joe was saying, this team’s a little bit different. The confidence we built over the regular season and now in the playoffs. I think winning on the road helped us get close as a group during the regular season and it carried over into the playoffs so far. Just having each other’s back out there and working for each other.

Head coach Pete DeBoer said that he believed this team could get this far right at the start of the season. This, despite or perhaps because of their troubled recent seasons:

They were coming off a down season but they were coming off a decade of great hockey. They had been well coached. Todd McLellan and the previous staff are as good as there are in the business. These guys had a great foundation. Right place, right time. Everyone was ready for something a little bit fresher and newer, not anything that much different. But that and the additions Doug [Wilson, Sharks GM] made, it just came together.

“I inherited a similiar team in New Jersey when I went there. Same type of thing, they had missed the playoffs for the first time in a long time the year before I got there. I think when you go into that situation, when you have really good people like there was in New Jersey when I went in there, like there was with this group. They’re pissed off, they’re embarassed by the year they just had and they’re willing to do and buy into whatever you’re selling to get it fixed again.”

Today I heard someone suggest that the other three teams in these conference finals get more air time than the San Jose Sharks do because there is nothing controversial about the Sharks. They are not swapping their goalies around, they are not switching their lines around, their star players are not underperforming, there is no supplementary drama. They just go out and do what they are supposed to do. But for fans of this team, this playoff run has been very dramatic, very suspenseful. They may be cheering like mad in the audience, but there are a lot of fans just holding their breath through every game.

The Sharks played up to that hum-drum reputation when Joe Pavelski got credit for the first goal of the game just 3:57 in. Assists went to Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl.

Apart from the last half minute of the period, the Sharks won the first period handily. Those final thirty seconds were getting out of hand, as the Sharks failed to clear several times and had the puck snatched away from them a few more. But they were saved by the bell and came away form the first with a 1-0 lead and a 9-5 shot advantage.

Seconds after that shot, play went the other way and the Tierney line wrought some havoc in the Blues’ zone. A Brent Burns shot went off Joel Ward’s stick for his fifth goal of the playoffs. Assists went to Burns and Tierney.

The Sharks earned their first power play when Troy Brouwer took an interference penalty early in the second period. San Jose’s power play did not convert but did bump their shot count to 13 without alowing the Blues to take a shot before close to the five minute mark of the period.

Scottie Upshall, back in the Blues lineup after sitting out the last three games, caught Tommy Wingels in the face with a high stick at 6:08 and drew blood, earning himself a double minor.

The four minutes of power play time seemed to lull the Sharks into complacency, or else it galvanized the Blues. The Blues took a couple of short-handed shots and the Sharks had more trouble getting through the neutral zone than they had previously. They accomplished the most immediate goal: of maintaining a two goal lead.

That was not enough for coach DeBoer. He used his timeout with just over five minutes left in the period. The Sharks had been scrambling and the Blues were making up ground on the shot clock. The end of the second had that in common with the end of the first: the Blues pushed the Sharks and Martin Jones had to make a few more stops. The Couture line had a good shift in the final 20 seconds but the Blues outshot the Sharks in the second, 11-10.

That second line picked up where they left off to start the third period, crowding into the Blues’ zone and making Elliott stop a shot from close in. It took them a few more shifts, but they finally caught what they were hunting: a third goal. It was only part of the Couture line. Ward was on the ice momentarily instead of Donskoi. As a result, he scored his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs. Assists went to Couture and Patrick Marleau.

The crowd went a little bit crazy. Richard Dean Anderson was shown helping duct tape Sharkie’s drum back together in one of the tunnels.

The Blues ruined the shut out with 8:21 left in the game. Vladimir Tarasenko got his first point in the series by way of a goal. Assists went to Jori Lehtera and Colton Parayko.

At 15:35, the teams were both penalized after a scuffle by the benches. Tommy Wingels (slashing) and Kevin Shattenkirk (cross-checking) both went to the box for two minutes. The Blues pulled Elliott for the additional skater and Tarasenko made a game of it with a second goal at 16:25. It squeezed through a gap between Jones’ blocker and the pipe. Assists went to Paul Stasny and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues tried the same shot again a few seconds later but Jones adjusted.

The Blues continued to push right to the end of the period, until Logan Couture was able to put the puck in the empty net.

The Sharks will play the winner of the Eastern Conference Final in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs podcast with Joe Lami: Sharks one game away from the Finals

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AP photo: San Jose Sharks Chris Tierney (50) celebrates with his teammates after scoring 3rd period goal as the St Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo agonizes on Monday night during game five

On the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Podcast with Joe Lami for the San Jose Sharks a huge win on Monday night in game five with a 6-3 win and a couple of empty netters towards the end of the evening. The Sharks came out and played well in the third with 16 seconds in with a deflection from Sharks center Joe Pavelski’s stick for a goal. This is the farthest that the Sharks have got in the history of the franchise and it’s been really exciting for the Sharks as they head back to San Jose for game six on Wednesday night.  After that stinker in game four they played really well in game five in the last 20 minutes and that was something to build on. The defense has been phenomenal for the Sharks.

Joe also gets into the Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lighting and Pittsburgh Penguins. Bolts hold a 3-2 lead in the series. Listen to the podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Categories NHL

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Expect Blues and Sharks to be playing for their playoff lives in game six

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AP photo: San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski (8) gets a round of congratulations from his teammates after scoring in the second period on the St Louis Blues in game five Monday night at Scottrade Center

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa expect game six between the St Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks to be a close game. We also can’t say the Sharks are on a roll because it’s just one game that they’ve won on Monday in game five 6-3 in St Louis. The Sharks are a motivated group they have a more scoring challenge than the Blues do. However the Blues are a very strong team defensively and they’ll be playing for their playoff lives and expect to be a very good game between two highly motivated teams.

Listen to the rest of the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa with all the latest headline right here at http://www.sportsraadioservice.com

 

 

Sportstalk remote podcast @ Le Colonial Vietnamese-French Restaurant San Francisco Mon May 23, 2016

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Cast: Jerry Feitelberg (host), Jeremy Harness (SF Giants reporter), Joe Lami (NHL analyst), Mary Lisa Walsh (SJ Sharks reporter), Len Shapiro (NHL analyst) and Lee Leonard (producer). Podcasting from the beautiful Le Colonial Vietnamese-French Restaurant at 20 Cosmo Place downtown San Francisco our thanks to our hosts Nur Zayed, Chef Jean Paul, Server Kevin and the very talented and wonderful staff at Le Colonial.

When visiting Le Colonial please try our favorite dishes that the cast enjoyed Appetizers: Goi Cuon, fresh spring rolls, Cha Gio Tom Cua Crispy rolls with Dungeness Crab, Goi Du Du Tom Nuong Green papaya (a Jerry favorite), Suon Nuong, Hoisin & passion fruit glazed baby back ribs

Main Courses: Ga Chien Xa Roasted Lemongrass Chicken, Thit Heo Nau Cot Dua, Coconut milk braised pork shoulder, Ca Hap Nuoc Cot Dua Coconut poached Alaskan Halibut.

side dishes: Xu Bruxelles Crispy sweet Chili-glazed brussel sprouts and Com Chien Le Colonial Wok fried Jasmine rice with bay shrimp.

On the Sports headlines discussions on the San Jose Sharks Stanley Cup Playoff in St Louis as the Sharks dominated the Blues in a three goal win 6-3 Monday night. The Sharks and Blues are headed back to San Jose for game six of these playoffs a win by the Sharks brings the Stanley Cup Finals to San Jose for the very first time. A win by the St Louis Blues forces a game seven back to St Louis. A crucial game for a pair of very intense hockey teams part of the Sportstalk discussion click below to hear it all.

 

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Podcast with Daniel Dullum: With both East and West conferences tied the likelihood of going seven games ever stronger

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AP photo: San Jose goalie Martin Jones stops a shot by the St Louis Blues Robby Fabbri (15) center Jori Lentera got the rebound and scored in the first period of game four at SAP Center

On the NHL Playoffs podcast with Daniel the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lighting are all knotted up 2-2 and are heading into game five at the Igloo in Pittsburgh and into a rough and tumble  game five. The Pens goalie Marc Andre-Fleury got to play his first game since March 31st on Saturday’s game four . Rookie Matt Muarry was covering in goal and Fluery came back Saturday night in game four and made seven saves.

Western Conference Finals: The San Jose Sharks who had shutout the St Louis Blues in two game straight couldn’t repeat another shutout again losing a three goal game 6-3 in game four to St Louis with the series tied at 2-2. The Blues handled the Sharks in all thre zones on Saturday. After getting shutout twice Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock took the Blues back to the chalk board.

Daniel Dullum does the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Blues Turn Tables On Sharks, Tie Series With 6-3 Win

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: St Louis Blues Jori Lentera (12) scores in the first period against the San Jose Sharks in game four at SAP Center on Saturday

SAN JOSE-Saturday’s Game 4 of the NHL’s Western Conference Finals was a complete reversal of Thursday’s 4-0 victory for San Jose. The St. Louis Blues tied the series 2-2 with a 6-3 victory, beating the San Jose Sharks in all three zones. The Blues’ power play went 2-4 while the Sharks’ power play went 0-4. Troy Brouwer and Kyle Brodziak each scored two goals for the Blues, with Jori Lehtera and Alex Pientrangelo adding to the tally. For the Sharks, Joe Pavelski, Chris Tierney and Melker Karlsson scored.

Oddly, the Sharks won on the shot clock and in the faceoff circle, the same way the Blues won those in the previous game. The fact that the Sharks were not shut out seems like a negligible detail.

It was the first time in these playoffs that Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer decided to pull goaltender Martin Jones from the game and put backup James Reimer in. It was a stark contrast to the consecutive shutouts that Jones pulled off in the last two games. On the performance of Jones, Sharks forward Tommy Wingels said afterwards:

We hung him out to dry tonight, he made some big saves there and he gave us a chance. We kept giving them more opportunities, odd-man rushes and guys alone at the net. So that’s certainly not on [Jones] at all, it’s on every guy in front of him.

It is anyone’s guess whether we will see these teams bring their best game to the same game in this series. The first game may have been the closest we will see, as each subsequent game has shown one team or the other at their best and the other very much not so. Of the Sharks’ performance Saturday, forward Logan Couture said: “We weren’t ourselves early. When you give a good team a two-nothing lead, and you give up a short-handed goal, that’s pretty much it.”

Tommy Wingels went into some detail about what the Sharks did wrong in this game:

We got away from our game. Our game is going north with it, it’s making plays where we’re there, it’s gettin pucks past their d-men, through the neutral zone and in on the forecheck. We got away from that, we turned pucks over, we turned it into a track meet for the first twenty, thirty minutes.

The only change in either lineup from Game 3 was Jake Allen, replacing goaltender Brian Elliott in the Blues net. After the game, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock talked about the decision to put Jake Allen in net:

He gave us exactly what we needed. He’s a competitive son of a gun and we needed a battler in there. We needed somebody to really help us play better defense. And we played with more passion in front of him in our own zone because I made the goalie change. And I had to make that decision. But I just felt like we were allowing them too much easy space with [Elliott] in there. And [Elliott] was getting bombarded and we needed to just dig in a little bit deeper defensively if we were going to have a chance in this series.

Almost four minutes in, Roman Polak took a shot from the blue line that looked like it was in, at least from one end of the rink. A section in the audience got half way to their feet before seeing that it was not a goal. The crowd was ready and confident that any Shark could score from anywhere. The game did not fulfill their expectations.

Instead, five minutes in, the Sharks took the first penalty, a tripping call to Brent Burns. Before that power play was over, the Blues had taken the lead. The goal was Troy Brouwer’s, with assists to Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny. Coach DeBoer challenged the play as offside but the goal stood up and the Sharks lost their timeout.

Shortly after the half way mark of the first, matters got worse for the Sharks. Jori Lehtera took a shot that Jones stopped, and the rebound went to the other side of the crease, where Robby Fabbri was waiting. Jones got across and stopped two shots, but a third rebound went out front to Lehtera, who put it under a prone Brent Burns and into the net.

The Sharks had their first power play a few seconds fater that, an interference call on Paul Stastny. The first power play unit did not look their worst, but they were not as sharp as they have been. The Blues took advantage of some poor passes and overdressed plays and killed the penalty. The second unit had no more success, and only a little less time. The first unit went off the ice with just under a minute left in the power play.

The next power play came with just 21 seconds remaining in the period, and it went to the Blues. As they waited for a delayed slashing call on Vlasic, another shooter drew Jones away from the net and got the puck behind him. Burns was there again he knocked the puck away.

Just over half way through the Vlasic penalty, Logan Couture put the puck over the glass and gave the Blues a two man advantage for 48 seconds. The Sharks survived both penalties and got a round of applause for it.

Their next power play, though, earned applause only from the Blues fans in the building.
Jaden Schwartz and Kyle Brodziak escapaed through the neutral zone with the puck, attacking two on one against Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Schwartz passed and Brodziak shot at the far corner on Jones, scoring his first of the playoffs short handed at 6:09, while Kevin Shattenkirk sat in the box for interference. An assist went to Jaden Schwartz. Their escape was explained by Joe Thornton after the game: “It was going to [Pavelski] and Pav thought [Couture] was behind him so he let it go. But it was just one of those plays where usually we make that happen and it just didn’t.”

The Blues’ second even strength goal came just after the half way point of the second. This one looked a lot like the previous one, when Jones had to get from one side of the net to the other and ended up too far from the center of his crease, giving [] an open net to shoot at. After that fourth goal, Peter DeBoer did the same thing Ken Hitchcock did in Game 3: he replaced the goalie. James Reimer hit the ice for the first time in the playoffs.

A minute or so later, a puck hit the netting above the Blues net, which caused the official to blow his whistle. When the puck landed, Hertl knocked the puck inth=o the Blues net. That got a reaction out of the Blues and got ?Hertl all tangled up in a scuffle. Oddly, the officials felt that Thornto ought to go to the box, along with Brouwer, both for roughing, but not each other.

The Four on four play seemed to favor the Sharks, or maybe it was the Blues sitting back on their 4-0 lead. In any case, the penalties elapsed and the score was still 4-0.

As the second wound to an end, the score stood at 4-0 and the shots were 21-15, both in favor of the visitors.

1:05 into the third period, the Sharks pushed back a little. The Thornton-Pavelsk-Hertl line worked their way into the offensive zone, accompanied by the Sharks wrecking ball defenseman, Burns. Burns took one of this familiar skates around behind the net to loosen things up and then made his way back out to the top of the slot. This all seemed to be a distraction as the puck got back to Joe Thornton while Joe p/avelski was making his way to the net.Hertl was already there, possibly screening Allen’s view of Thornton’s pass to Pavelski. It was Pavelski’s tenth goal of the playoffs, Thornton’s 11th assist and Martin’s 4th.

The Blues put the kibosh on the Shark’s excellent third period start when Joel Ward put the puck over the glass at 3:48. Just seven seconds into the power play, Troy Brouwer put the puck around Reimer, off the post and in. Assists went to Alexander Steen and Paul Stastny.

The next attack came the Sharks’ third line of Chris Tierney, Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson. It started with an uncustomary skate deep into the offensive zone, by Justin Braun. That set off a chain reaction that had the Blues scrambling around the energy and quickness of Tierney and Karlsson. They put at least four shots in the direction of the net before one went in at 6:57. The goal went to Chris Tierney with an assist to Melker Karlsson.

The Sharks had another power play at 7:07, but all they got for that was some padding for their shot count. Yet another power play came their way at 10:51. Stastny was in the box again, this time for tripping Chris Tierney. Still the Sharks power play could not launch.

With more than four minutes left, DeBoer pulled Reimer for the extra skater. All that accomplished was the Blues’ sixth goal into an empty net.

With Reimer back in the net, a good push by San Jose’s third line resulted in the Blues’ scoring an own goal while trying to clear Tierney’s pass out of Karlsson’s reach.

With 2:11 left, after a group discussion around the faceoff circle, Brenden Dillon and Carl Gunnarson came to blows. The crowd deemed Dillon to be the winner. Both players left the game. Alexander Steen and Tommy Wingels also received ten minute misconducts.

The final shot count was 34-27 San Jose.

Game 5 will be in St. Louis on Monday at 5:00 PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks playing mind boggling hockey after back to back shutouts vs. the Blues

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AP photo: The San Jose Sharks Tomas Hertl not seen in photo finds the back end of the net while the St Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) looking the other way in the third period at SAP Center during game three

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa, It’s kind of mind boggling what the Sharks have been doing, they just don’t seem to have any limits as far as beating the St Louis Blues in this third round of the playoffs. It makes  you think what are the Blues doing? How can they have got this far? It’s been an unbalanced couple of games two and three after the Sharks have thrown two shutouts against the Blues so far for a 2-1 lead.

The Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock has been saying a couple of interesting things his leading scorer from the regular season Vladimir Tarasenko (40 goals) has not been doing as much in the playoffs. He hasn’t been getting as much ice time, you think it’s been seven periods since he’s scored a goal you have to put the kid out there more because he might be the key. The Sharks have some rookies on their team too that are really helping out with the scoring and the Sharks don’t see head coach Peter DeBoer cutting out their ice time.

Mary Lisa covers the San Jose Sharks and does the Sharks podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sharks Shut Out Blues Again, Take 2-1 Series Lead

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi (27) takes goes for the victory lap from the Sharks bench after scoring in the second period in game three of Thursday night’s game at SAP Center

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks took a 2-1 series lead over the St. Louis Blues with a 3-0 victory in San Jose. It was the first time that the Sharks had two consecutive shutouts in the playoffs, and the first time in a Conference Final. Though the Sharks looked unsteady in the first few minutes of the game, they made the most of their chances and limited the Blues to not very good ones.

Two goals came from Tomas Hertl, with the middle tally from Joonas Donskoi. Martin Jones made 22 saves for the Sharks. David Backes led the Blues in shots, and Brian Elliott made 11 saves on 14 shots before being replaced in the third period. Allen made two saves in relief.

The Sharks did not get off to a good start. That may be an understatement, as they looked like they are on a penalty kill when they were at even strength. The first line to muster any offensive zone time in those terrible five minutes was the fourth line. After that, the second line spent some time there, and the others followed suit. After almost seven minutes of play, the Blues had three shots to the Sharks’ 1 but that does not express how unbalanced the game had been.

The ten minute mark seemed to be the witching moment for San Jose, as the team found their legs and started launching some concerted attacks on the Blues net. Nick Spaling backed up a little too close to Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, but even though Elliott advertised the contact by throwing his mask off, no penalty was called. Later, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a near miss but the pass was just out of reach. The Sharks almost made up the difference in shots by the end of the period. San Jose also had three odd man rushes by the 12 minute mark, while the Blues had none.

The changes to the Blues lineup showed some promise early. Dimitri Jaskin and Colton Parayko had some strong shifts in the Sharks’ zone later in the first period.

The Sharks were still trailing on the shot clock, 3-7, when a ragged-looking odd man rush by the Sharks’ top line put the puck in the back of the net. Joe Thornton picked the puck up in the neutral zone, and made a short pass to Joe Pavelski as he crossed the blue line. He quickly sent the puck in across the slot, where Tomas Hertl was headed. Hertl gathered the puck up and shot it by Elliott for his fourth goal of the playoffs. Assists went to Pavelski and Thornton.

At the end of the first, Alex Pietrangelo was called for charging and the Sharks started the second period with 1:57 of power play time. Nothing came of it, but the Sharks looked very composed. The Blues, by comparison, failed to take advantage of some fast and loose plays that left the puck up for grabs. Still, the Blues were leading in shots four minutes into the second, 9-8.

The Sharks finally caught the Blues on the shot clock with their second goal of the game, and Joonas Donskoi’s fourth of the post season. Logan Couture carried the puck into the zone and sent a pass back to Donskoi as he crossed the blue line. After looking like he might pass it to another skater in the zone, Donskoi took the shot from high in the slot. Marleau was right in front of the net and Elliott probably did not have a clean view of the shot.

The Blues had their first power play of the game at 15:01 of the second, when Couture went to the box for high sticking Patrick Berglund. The Blues held the zone very effectively and added a couple of shots to their tally but did not change the score.

Early in the third period, the Blues put fierce pressure on the Sharks, adding three shots in the first three minutes and getting the Sharks a little off balance. Six minutes into the period, the Sharks still had no shots on goal.

That first one was a doozy, as it gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead. Tomas Hertl’s second goal of the game was scored with a very simple shot from close in, that went under Elliott. Joe Thornton got the puck to him with a pass around the boards, which he picked up behind the net and skooted ot in front for the shot. Assists went to Thornton and Pavelski. After that goal, Jake Allen took the Blues net.

The Blues pulled Allen as well with over five minutes left in the game. They were able to hold the zone for about 30 seconds before sending it over the blue line themselves. Jones made some good stops but after about a minute of six on five play, the Sharks drove the game back into the neutral zone and took a swipe or two at the empty net. Logan Couture missed one, Tomas Hertle had one blocked. To their credit, the Blues did not give the Sharks much time for those shots.

With just 44.4 left in the game, Alex Pietrangelo went to the box for elbowing. The Blues kept their net empty and held the Sharks’ zone pretty well with the extra skater, but they could not break the shutout.

Game Four will be Saturday at 4:15 PT in San Jose.

Sharks even up series with 4-0 win over Blues

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By: Eric He

AP photo: The San Jose Sharks Paul Martin (7) knocks away the puck from the mouth of the goal in game two of with the St Louis Blues on Tuesday night

The San Jose Sharks knotted up the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals at one-game apiece with a 4-0 victory over the Blues on Tuesday.

The series shifts back to San Jose with the Sharks earning a split in St. Louis and stealing home-ice advantage.

The Sharks jumped ahead early on a quick strike by Tommy Wingels two minutes into the first period, and built on their lead with back-to-back power play goals by Brent Burns. The first came on a nice passing play in the second period, as the Sharks took advantage of a Blues’ player without a stick. Joe Pavelski found a wide-open Burns with a cross-ice feed for the goal.

Burns struck again midway through the third period to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead, blasting a one-time from the point past Blues’ goaltender Brian Elliot. An empty-net goal by Dainius Zubrus sealed the win.

Martin Jones stopped all 26 shots he faced and the Sharks held the Blues scoreless in six power play opportunities.

Game 3 will be on Thursday at SAP Center as the Sharks look to take the lead in the series.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks put game one out of their memory going for game two in St Louis

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photo by bayareanewsgroup.com: San Jose Sharks Joe Pavelski tries to put one past the St Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott last Sun May 15th at the Kiel Center

On the Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa the Sharks didn’t play very well in the first round in game six in Nashville but played extremely well in game seven for a 5-0 win to move onto the second round against St Louis. Logan Couture’s response after the game six loss to Nashville was that the Sharks just had a bad game and that’s the same thing going on with the Sharks 2-1 loss in St Louis in game one.

In game one they just didn’t haven’t together the fact that they did have a good second period and it was a bad game and if you remember back to the first game of the Nashville series that was more kind of a predictable outcome where games were a little bit quite for them in the first period. It was like the two teams were feeling each other out. So this first game against St Louis didn’t do that with the Sharks being a little bit too careful.

Mary Lisa has a lot more on the Sharks playoffs podcast join her below and each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com