Series schedule
The Blues lead the best-of-seven series, one game to none.
Game 1: Blues 2, Sharks 1
Game 2: Tuesday, May 17, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m.
Game 3: Thursday, May 19, Blues @ Sharks, 6 p.m.
Game 4: Saturday, May 21, Blues @ Sharks, 4:15 p.m.
*Game 5: Monday, May 23, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m.
*Game 6: Tuesday, May 25, Blues @ Sharks, 6 p.m.
*Game 7: Thursday, May 27, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m.
*if necessary
Last game
Jori Lehtera’s goal midway through the second period was the difference in a 2-1 Blues win in Game 1. David Backes opened the scoring in the first period, but Tomas Hertl answered with a double-deflection goal shortly after for San Jose’s only score. Brian Elliott managed 31 saves, including 24 in the second and third periods combined.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Brent Burns. The big defenseman managed 14 shot attempts, but only three made it on net, as he had nine blocked and another two that missed. Burns was also sloppy with the puck, getting burned on Lehtera’s goal after his pass up the ice was intercepted by the St. Louis center. Burns did register an assist on Hertl’s goal, though, and is second in the league in playoff scoring with 16 points.
Blues: David Backes. The Blues captain was credited with a game-high 11 hits, which was just three fewer than San Jose had as a team. He also had St. Louis’ first goal, a nifty deflection on the power play, and is now tied for the team lead in playoff goals with seven. His 13 playoff points in 15 games this year equals his total from his previous five playoffs combined (29 games).
Probable lines
Sharks
Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Joonas Donskoi
Melker Karlsson – Chris Tierney – Joel Ward
Dainius Zubrus – Nick Spaling – Tommy Wingels
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Brenden Dillon – Roman Polak
Martin Jones (starter)
James Reimer
Blues
Jaden Schwartz – Jori Lehtera – Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri – Paul Stastny – Troy Brouwer
Patrik Berglund – Alexander Steen – David Backes
Scottie Upshall – Kyle Brodziak – Steve Ott
Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Kevin Shattenkirk
Carl Gunnarsson – Colton Parayko
Brian Elliott (starter)
Jake Allen
Playoff vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 3.23
Goals-against per game: 2.31
Power play: 28.9 percent
Penalty kill: 80.5 percent
Blues
Goals per game: 3.07
Goals-against per game: 2.33
Power play: 28.6 percent
Penalty kill: 81.0 percent
Injuries/Scratches
Sharks: Matt Nieto (undisclosed) is out.
Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko (birth of son) is probable.
Sharks playoff record when…
The Sharks are 4-11 when trailing a series one game to none. They are 8-5 when a series is tied at one game apiece, and 0-10 when losing the first two.
San Jose is 15-18 all-time in Game 2’s, including 6-11 on the road.
Facts and figures
*The Sharks have fallen behind two-games-to-none in each of their previous three conference finals appearances (2004, 2010, 2011). They are now 3-13 all-time in the third round.
*The Blues split the first two games in each of their first two series against Chicago and Dallas.
*Teams that take a 2-0 lead in the conference finals are 74-7 all-time (91.4 percent).
*San Jose has lost four straight road games for the first time this season.
*The Blues are 4-4 at home in the playoffs, while San Jose is 5-1 at SAP Center, where the series shifts for games three and four later this week.
Quotable
“It seemed like we had the puck a lot of the night. We had some good chances. We would like to finish on a couple more, obviously. I think we’ve still got another gear in the three‑man group.” – Joe Thornton, on his line’s performance in Game 1
