May 17 Recap

Brent Burns, Martin Jones Lead Sharks to Game 2 Victory

         After game 1 of the St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks series, head coaches Ken Hitchcock and Pete DeBoer both said their teams had to play better. Last night in game 2, it seemed the Sharks had improved, while the Blues, not so much.

         The Sharks came out flying for the first few minutes of the game. They struck first quickly when a shot by Tommy Wingels went through Elliot’s arm and into the net at 2:07. The Sharks continued to carry the play for most of the period while the Blues looked flat. San Jose controlled most of the loose pucks while St. Louis often struggled to get the puck out of their zone whenever they had control of it.

         Though the Sharks outplayed the Blues in the 1^st period, they by no means took control of the game. They did, however, begin to when the building frustration of the Blues caused an undisciplined slashing penalty by Troy Brouwer. The Sharks didn’t hesitate on their opportunity to seize control of play in the 2^nd period. Set up perfectly by Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, Brent Burns ripped a shot past Brian Elliot from the slot for a power play goal at 7:04. By the end of the period, it became apparent that the Sharks had gotten into the heads of the Blues.

         The Blues had a chance to get back into the game when Patrick Marleau committed a double minor high-sticking penalty 32 seconds into the 3^rd. While the Blues had a few good chances on the man advantage, the Sharks kept them off the scoreboard thanks to the superb goaltending of Martin Jones. Midway through the period, Troy Brouwer took another bad penalty when he high-sticked Paul Martin. Less than 30 seconds later, the puck was once again in the back of the St. Louis net. Brent Burns had sniped another power play goal at 11:58 and the game was effectively over for the Blues.

         The Sharks top scorers had done their damage, and it was too late for the Blues to turn things around. Dainius Zubrus added an empty netter, and the Sharks skated to a 4-0 win. Martin Jones finished with an impressive 26-save shutout, keeping the Blues scoreless for the first time this postseason. With a solid win, the Sharks now hope to take control of the series when they head home to SAP Center for game 3 on Thursday.