Let’s take a look at the top picks, plays and predictions for the Western Conference Final.
| Sharks vs Blues ML +112 / -124 O/U 5 |
Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.
Game 1 went to the home Blues. St. Louis’ dominance of the first 40 minutes was enough to hold off the Sharks to win 2-1 in the series’ first installment.
David Backes got the scoring started in the first period. With the Blues on the man advantage, the captain of the team had himself planted right in front of Martin Jones down low. A quick touch pass from Jaden Schwartz to the high slot to Kevin Shattenkirk opened up some ice for the right-handed defenseman. Shattenkirk’s wrist shot was then deflected- by skill or by luck- with the shaft of his stick to put the Blues on top.
Only 34 seconds later, the Sharks got it right back. Tomas Hertl won a puck battle along the high boards and got some help from Joe Thornton. Thornton then faked a drop pass back to Hertl and circled back. For all Thornton’s work on the play, he came out of it without a point, as Brent Burns’ one-time shot from the point was deflected twice in the low slot by Joe Pavelski and then Hertl. Brian Elliott never had a chance.
Midway through the second period, Brent Burns’ pass from his own zone was picked off in the neutral zone by a prowling Jori Lehtera. Without breaking stride, Lehtera streaked into the zone and wound up a slapshot. On the follow-through, Chris Tierney tried to break up the attempt. The slight obstruction did not impede enough, though. Lehtera’s shot nicked Jones’ shoulder and found its way to the back of the net.
That would be the difference-maker. Elliott would stop 31 of 32 en route to victory.
The Sharks have now lost their last four road games despite being the winningest road team in the league. They have only scored eight goals in that stretch.
Joe Pavelski had a team-high seven shots on goal in Game 1. He and Logan Couture saw 4:30 of powerplay time, which ranked second only to Brent Burns, who logged 5:43. San Jose went 0-for-3 on the man advantage, however. The Blues were 1-for-2.
The atmosphere was, for lack of a better word, lit in St. Louis for Game 1. If the Sharks can find a way to even up the series tonight, I imagine San Jose will be the exact same way. These are two cities that are desperate for a trip to the Stanley Cup Final, and it shows.
Tonight is going to be a fast-paced matchup with a physical edge. St. Louis held the physical advantage in the first game, throwing 28 hits to only 14 by San Jose. The Sharks were one of the most physical teams in the league, so to see the entire team nearly outhit by David Backes alone is a little strange.
Backes, by the way, had 11 hits in the game. He was a -10 in shot attempts, however, so it’s a double-edged sword. The Backes-Berglund-Steen line was abused possession-wise. The Tarasenko line with Schwartz and Lehtera was the best for the Blues.
The line that did the abusing for the Sharks was the Pavelski-Thornton-Hertl line, which came in at a +15 for shot differential. Brent Burns led all skaters at +18. The third line of Chris Tierney, Joel Ward and Melker Karlsson was the least effective at 5v5.
As a reminder, the San Jose Sharks have only won three Conference Final games in their franchise’s history. They cannot afford to take a 2-0 deficit in the series, but their play on the road of late seems to indicate that it is a possibility. The Pacific bracket final was a home team’s series. To capitalize, they need to take home ice from the Blues tonight. Otherwise, the pressure to be perfect at home may be too much. They have not gone down 2-0 in a series yet this postseason.
The Blues have been unable to put together consecutive home wins this postseason. In both the Chicago and the Dallas series, St. Louis won the first leg of their homestand then dropped the second by a 3-2 score.
Side note: congratulations to Vladimir Tarasenko, who welcomed his newborn son into the world with his wife today.
Prediction: The Sharks do not inspire confidence on the road anymore. Take the Blues to go up 2-0 in the series tonight. Play the over.
