Tag: san jose sharks

After 10 long years, the Blues turned their playoff fortune around in 45 quick seconds against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. Seeking to win their first postseason series since 2002, and with those chances diminishing late in the third period, the Blues received back-to-back goals from Jamie Langenbrunner and David Perron for the team’s first lead, and Andy McDonald added an empty-netter for a 3-1 victory in Game 5.

St. Louis produced its second win in three days at HP Pavilion Thursday night to grab a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinals at HP Pavilion.

Once the St. Louis Blues converted their first two power play opportunities to build a 3-1 advantage, the San Jose Sharks spent the final half of Monday’s game fruitlessly trying to pull even with the visitors.

Funny how things work out. As the playoffs approached, St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock was undecided and noncommittal about which of his goaltenders would get the starting call. The pair – Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott – combined for 15 shutouts during the season, splitting duties almost down the middle.

Once the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night to keep the San Jose Sharks from claiming a fifth consecutive Pacific Division title, the result gave San Jose, which clinched a playoff spot two nights earlier, the seventh seed in the Western Conference quarterfinals beginning Thursday in St. Louis against the second-seeded Blues.

Joe Pavelski scored two goals and Antii Niemi made 22 saves as San Jose leapt over the Stars (89 points) into eighth place in the conference with 90 points. Los Angeles, an overtime loser to Minnesota, and Phoenix, a 4-0 winner over Anaheim, remain ahead of the Sharks with 91 points apiece. Each of the four teams in the Pacific Division bidding for the three playoff spots has three games left in the regular season.

Any microscopic chance that the Ducks had left to retain hope for a postseason appearance finally evaporated Wednesday night, so they were left to settle on the next best thing.

An eventful night for the San Jose Sharks concluded with a 5-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Monday at sold-out HP Pavilion.

San Jose moved into ninth place in the tightly-bunched Western Conference standings Saturday by topping the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout at sold-out HP Pavilion.

With one final quick stride, the defenseman moved to the inside edge of the blueline and managed to stop the attempted clear of theBostonzone by the Bruins.