Series schedule
The best-of-seven series is tied, two games apiece.
Game 1: Blues 2, Sharks 1
Game 2: Sharks 4, Blues 0
Game 3: Sharks 3, Blues 0
Game 4: Blues 6, Sharks 3
Game 5: Monday, May 23, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m.
Game 6: Wednesday, May 25, Blues @ Sharks, 6 p.m.
*Game 7: Friday, May 27, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m.
*if necessary
Last game
After changing starting goaltenders for the first time in the playoffs, St. Louis erupted for six goals in Game 4 in front of Jake Allen, pummeling the Sharks on Saturday at SAP Center, 6-3. Kyle Brodziak and Troy Brouwer each scored twice for St. Louis, which had been shut out in games two and three, while Allen made 31 stops. Sharks goalie Martin Jones was pulled for the first time in the postseason, surrendering four goals on 19 Blues shots.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Patrick Marleau. There were a number of Sharks that struggled in Game 4, but no one was more invisible than Marleau, who was San Jose’s only forward without a shot on goal. In fact, the 36-year-old was the only Sharks player to not record a single shot attempt in 15:42 of ice time. He has 10 points in 16 playoff games, but only four of those have come at even strength.
Blues: Troy Brouwer. The veteran forward, visibly frustrated earlier in the series, scored a pair of goals in Game 4 in leading the Blues. His seven playoff goals ties him for the team lead with David Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko, and in 18 games, he’s equaled his goal output from his first 78 playoff games combined.
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
Robby Fabbri – Jori Lehtera – Vladimir Tarasenko
Alex Steen – Paul Stastny – Troy Brouwer
Jaden Schwartz – Patrik Berglund – David Backes
Magnus Paajarvi – Kyle Brodziak – Dmitrij Jaskin
Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Kevin Shattenkirk
Carl Gunnarsson – Colton Parayko
Jake Allen (starter)
Brian Elliott
Playoff vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 3.25
Goals-against per game: 2.25
Power play: 26.3 percent
Penalty kill: 80.8 percent
Blues
Goals per game: 2.89
Goals-against per game: 2.50
Power play: 26.4 percent
Penalty kill: 81.5 percent
Injuries
Sharks: Matt Nieto (undisclosed) is questionable.
Blues: David Backes (upper body), Robby Fabbri (lower body) and Scottie Upshall (upper body) are questionable.
Sharks playoff record when…
The Sharks are 5-9 all-time when a series is tied at two games apiece. They are 8-3 when leading three-games-to-one, and 1-9 when trailing three-games to two.
San Jose is 14-16 all-time in Game 5’s, including 2-0 this season.
Facts and figures
*When a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has a 78.4 percent success rate (192-53).
*The Sharks and Blues were both tied 2-2 in the second round, won Game 5, and won the series in seven games.
*Logan Couture leads the league in scoring with 20 points (7g, 13a). Joe Pavelski is second in goals (10).
Quotable
“You try to learn from that last game, and the next game's another opportunity. We’ve got to come out with a little bit more energy and be a little bit better prepared.” – Joe Pavelski
