Series schedule
The Sharks lead the best-of-seven series, three-games-to-two.
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: Sharks 6, Blues 3
Game 6: Wednesday, May 25, Blues @ Sharks, 6 p.m. (NBCSN)
*Game 7: Friday, May 27, Sharks @ Blues, 5 p.m. (NBCSN)
*if necessary
Last game
Joe Pavelski tied it late in the second, and recorded the game-winner early in the third as the Sharks won Game 5 in St. Louis on Monday, 6-3. Joel Ward scored twice, including a power play goal and a late empty-netter that sealed the win. The Sharks held the Blues to 21 shots, while Martin Jones made 18 saves in his return to the net after getting pulled for the first time in the playoffs in Game 4.
Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The defenseman leads the Sharks with a plus-12 rating, and has helped hold dangerous forward Vladimir Tarasenko off of the scoresheet in the series. Tarasenko, Tyler Toffoli and Filip Forsberg – the leading goal-scorers in the regular season for each of the Sharks’ opponents – have a combined one goal, one assist and a minus-18 rating in 17 games, and Vlasic’s defensive play is a huge reason why. He scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 5, opening the scoring, to go along with nine assists.
Blues: Robby Fabbri. After he was questionable to play in Game 4, the 20-year-old rookie scored a power play goal in the second period that gave the Blues a 3-2 lead at the time. He leads St. Louis with 15 points in the playoffs, the second-most in Blues history for a rookie (Joe Mullen, 18 points in 1982). The last time St. Louis faced an elimination game, Game 7 against Dallas in the second round, he recorded three points (1g, 2a).
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
Scottie Upshall – Kyle Brodziak – Dmitrij Jaskin
Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Kevin Shattenkirk
Carl Gunnarsson – Colton Parayko
Brian Elliott (starter)
Jake Allen
Playoff vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 3.41
Goals-against per game: 2.29
Power play: 28.3 percent
Penalty kill: 80.0 percent
Blues
Goals per game: 2.89
Goals-against per game: 2.68
Power play: 26.8 percent
Penalty kill: 78.9 percent
Injuries
Sharks: Matt Nieto (upper body) is out.
Blues: None.
Sharks playoff record when…
The Sharks are 8-3 all-time when leading a series, three-games-to-two.
San Jose is 5-16 all-time in Game 6’s, including 0-1 this season.
Facts and figures
*The Sharks are looking to clinch their first-ever appearance in a Stanley Cup Final. The only team with as many years in the league as the Sharks to never to appear in the final round is the Arizona/Winnipeg franchise (1979).
*The Blues are 2-0 in elimination games, winning Game 7’s in the first and second rounds. San Jose is 2-1 when trying to close out an opponent.
*Pete DeBoer has a 25-16 record in the playoffs, previously taking the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.
*The Sharks are 4-for-18 on the power play in the series; St. Louis is 4-for-16.
*Martin Jones has allowed seven goals on 40 shots over the last two games (.825 SP).
Quotable
“To come this far and have this opportunity is huge. I don't think it's one of those things we take for granted or take lightly.” – Paul Martin
