ST. LOUIS, MO – While wind and rain were causing trouble outside the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the home team was about to make it a treacherous atmosphere for the visiting San Jose Sharks. As tornado sirens whaled and storm warnings were issued, fans packed the arena to witness what was sure to be a dangerous storm on the ice.
It took just ninety-two seconds for that fury to strike inside the Blues home rink. In the early-going, St. Louis advanced the puck to form a two-on-one with David Perron and Sammy Blais trading passes. San Jose defenseman Brent Burns sprawled to intercept their final pass, sending the puck to the far boards. Vladimir Tarasenko corralled the loose biscuit, sending it on a cross ice pass to a waiting Sammy Blais near the opposite circle. Perron was waiting in front of the Sharks goal when Blais sent a drive which deflected off his teammate’s stick and into the net past goaltender Martin Jones for the early lead.
Left Wing David Perron (#57) of the St Louis Blues
The crowd erupted, whipping up into a frenzy similar to what 10,000+ fans did during Game Five at Enterprise Center while watching the game in San Jose on the scoreboard.
After a lengthy delay to gain a replacement referee after veteran Wes McCauley was injured eight minutes into the game, St. Louis continued the punishing forecheck which has led to three key San Jose players sitting out this critical me. Hits by Blais and Tarasenko further established St. Louis as the dominant team in recent games.
Both teams trade chances, but the Blues clearly had the better of them. While hits remained even between the clubs, it was clearly St. Louis who was having more impact as San Jose players were sent sprawling after powerful, clean body checks.
Robert Bortuzzo was tripped in the Blues zone by Barclay Goodrow and the Blues went on the man advantage with just under four to play in the opening period. It took just seven seconds when Ryan O’Reilly won a face-off sending it back to Tarasenko. He fed Blues defenseman Colton Parayko who then gave the puck back to Tarasenko. After waiting for his opening of choice, Tarasenko lit the lamp by sending a bullet high glove side and past San Jose goaltender Martin Jones, extending the lead to 2-0. It was the sixth game in a row the Russian sniper registered a point.
The Sharks pressed before the period was complete, but the Blues defense withstood the assault, finishing out the period.
The middle period started with increased St. Louis forechecking, but San Jose withstood the punishment and several good chances by the home squad. Their resiliency paid off when with 6:40 into the period, St. Louis lit their side of the scoreboard. San Jose’s Joonas Donskoi took the puck from his own zone sending a stretch pass to a waiting Dylan Gambrell. The rookie sped in on St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington firing a shot under the stick side glove to narrow the score to 2-1. It was a shot Binnington would like to have back.
Midway through the period, San Jose’s Barclay Goodrow nearly snuck one past Binnington when he collected the puck behind the Blues goal and spun around hoping to catch an opening against the post. The Blues rookie goalie shut it down to preserve the lead. San Jose wasn’t done with their good chances and nearly tied it when Binnington misplayed a puck sent on net before the Blues defense cleared it out of harm’s way.
St. Louis answered with a golden chance from Robert Thomas show broke in all alone, only to have the puck knocked of his stick before he could get a shot off. The pressure applied by San Jose led to a hooking call on Justin Braun who affected Thomas’ chance. The Blues headed to the power play where they were one for one up to this point in the game.
After some clever chances on the man advantage, St. Louis finally converted just before the penalty expired. Robert Thomas fed Alex Pietrangelo who fired a shot right on net. Jones made the initial save, but could not prevent the rebound. Waiting at the top of the crease was Brayden Schenn who slid the puck past the outstretched arm of Jones and into the open net to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.
After a few anxious moments when San Jose netted a goal earlier in the period, there was a little easier breathing in St. Louis. The period ended with St. Louis leading 3-1.
St. Louis started the period strong, but killed any momentum when Pat Maroon took a foolish penalty for tripping Joonas Donskoi. San Jose went on the power play with their best chance from Kevin Lebanc who stuck on flat off the bar which deflected away. The Sharks would get no closer on chances during the flurry.
San Jose, sensing time was running out with thirteen minutes to play, nearly narrowed the lead to 3-2 when Evander Kane found the puck on his stick right in front of Binnington. The Blues goalie faced the gifted Kane stoping the shot with his catch glove and defenseman Joel Edmundson cleared the rebound to safety. At this point in the game, St. Louis had not yet registered a shot.
The Sharks kept pressing. Just after the midway point of the period, Logan Courture skated in on Binnington with little pressure. One of San Jose’s deadliest shooters fired a drive on net and Binnington answered with a confident glove save.
With 7:28 left in regulation, the Blues gained their first show of the period, nearly making it 4-1. Shots were 11-1 up to that point in the final frame. The Blues second shot, though, did extend the lead. Ryan O’Reilly headed up ice with the puck, advancing it as he crossed the San Jose blue line to David Perron. The game’s first goal scorer sent a pass in front of the net to a closing Tyler Bozak who tapped it in past Marin Jones to extend the lead.
It was just a matter of time after the goal, San Jose half-heartedly just trying to get through the game, BOzak’s goal quite the backbreaker.
St. Louis ended the game with an empty-net goal, this just after a miss on the open frame by Oskar Sundqvist. At 5-1, it was just a matter of the 135 ticks left on the game clock. The St. Louis Blues will face the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final, the same opponent they battled in their last engagement for the shiny chalice. Game One is Monday, May 27th from TD Garden in Boston.
Monday, May 27 8 p.m. St. Louis at Boston NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports Wednesday,
May 29 8 p.m. St. Louis at Boston NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
Saturday, June 1 8 p.m. Boston at St. Louis NBCSN, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
Monday, June 3 8 p.m. Boston at St. Louis NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
*Thursday, June 6 8 p.m. St. Louis at Boston NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
*Sunday, June 9 8 p.m. Boston at St. Louis NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
*Wednesday, June 12 8 p.m. St. Louis at Boston NBC, Sportsnet, CBC, TVA Sports
Dennis Morrell has a lengthy background in the great game as a hockey writer, photographer, goalie coach, player and currently active USA Hockey-certified referee with over 1,000 games managed wearing the striped jersey. His passion for the game began in the early 70s with his first glance at hockey players at an outdoor rink in Clayton’s Shaw Park. He can be reached at dennis.morrell@prohockeynews.com and you can follow him on Twitter at DMMORRELL.
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