ST. LOUIS, MO – Up until Game Four, the San Jose Sharks were progressively getting stronger and more than the St. Louis Blues could handle. While the Game Four loss was a wake-up call, the Sharks showed they are alive with eyes wide open with a Stanley Cup Final appearance in sight, after a 6-3 thrashing of the Blues in Game Five of the Western Conference Final.
Joe Pavelski scored twice, including the go-ahead goal 16 seconds into the third period. Pavelski, who has a six-game point streak (four goals, five assists), tipped a right point shot past Jake Allen to break a 3-3 tie. Pavelski won a faceoff after Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester iced the puck six seconds into the third.
San Jose has a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series and is one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history.
Joel Ward scored twice, Joe Thornton had three assists and Marc-Edouard Vlasic had a goal and an assist for the Sharks. Chris Tierney had an empty-net goal and Martin Jones made 18 saves.
Jaden Schwartz, Troy Brouwer and Robby Fabbri scored for St. Louis. Jake Allen made 21 saves.
It’s the fourth straight year the Blues, who fell to 4-6 at home in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, have lost a game at home in Game Five of a series that was tied 2-2. The Blues entered Monday uncertain whether forwards David Backes and Fabbri, each injured in Game Four, would be available, but they were able to play.
The Blues had the early pressure, but the Sharks grabbed a 1-0 lead after winning a faceoff in the Blues zone, and Vlasic’s first goal of the postseason, a shot from the left point got past a screened Allen 3:51 into the game.
St. Louis responded fairly quickly when Schwartz scored his first in 14 games on a rebound. Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk took the initial shot that Jones saved, then Patrik Berglund threw the puck into the slot, it caromed off David Backes and Schwartz was there to collect the loose puck at 7:04 to tie the game.
Brouwer’s baseball-style goal, his eighth in 19 playoff games with the Blues after having seven in his first 78 playoff games, came off a rebound of a Paul Stastny shot at 15:08 of the first to give St. Louis a 2-1 lead.
The Sharks got their power play going in the second period, and Ward tied it at 4:37 after Vlasic’s initial shot from the left circle hit the near post, caromed off Allen’s back in the crease and Ward batted the puck in.
Fabbri put the Blues ahead 3-2 after he scored when his slap shot from the point beat a screened Jones near side at 11:58 of the period, but Pavelski tied it with the Sharks’ second power-play goal in as many opportunities when he converted from the slot with 1:27 remaining in the second.
Tierney scored an empty-net goal with 53.9 seconds remaining and Ward scored another one with 31.6 seconds left.
St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko is pointless in the series, a major point of frustration for the Blues. In Game Five, he was helpd to one shot ad a -2 rating.
Game Six is set for the SAP Center in San on, May 25th (9:00 PM ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).
If necessary, St. Louis will host Game Seven on Friday, May 27th (8:00 PM ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).
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