Weekly Recap (May 20)

         Happy Friday! It’s time for another weekly recap. Here’s what’s been happening in the hockey world the past 7 days:

Sharks Shut Out Blues Again, Take 2-1 Series Lead

         Last night, the San Jose Sharks shut out the St. Louis Blues for the second straight game to take a 2-1 lead in the best of 7 series. Martin Jones was once again perfect, stopping all 22 St. Louis shots. Tomas Hertl scored twice to lead San Jose to a 3-0 win at SAP Center.

         The Sharks were the faster, more dangerous team for the entirety of the game. The top scorers were once again flying all over the ice, intimidating the St. Louis defense. Throughout the playoffs, San Jose has had a lot of success when using their speed. Not only are they speedy, but analyst Brian Lawton has stated, “the guys are looser playing a less rigid style of play under coach Pete DeBoer than Todd McLellan.”

         Tomas Hertl opened the scoring at 15:53 when he ripped a shot past Elliot. Though outshot 9-7 in the 1^st period, San Jose was generating a lot of scoring chances and spent a majority of the time in the Blues zone. Up 1-0 in the first intermission, the Sharks continued to dominate heading into the 2^nd period. They extended their lead at 11:44 when Joonas Donskoi’s shot from the high slot went high glove on Elliot.

         At 6:09 of the 3^rd, Tomas Hertl struck again when he scored five hole on Elliot. After allowing 3 goals on 14 shots, Brian Elliot was pulled. Jake Allen made a rare appearance in relief. Frustration was once again setting in for the Blues. Though the Blues had some good scoring chances, they couldn’t solve goaltender Martin Jones. The Sharks will enter game 4 at the “Shark Tank” up 2-1 in the series. They will attempt to take a 3-1 stranglehold on Saturday.

Auston Matthews Leads USA to IIHF Semifinals

         Yesterday, 18-year-old Auston Matthews led Team USA to a 2-1 shootout win against the Czech Republic in the IIHF World Championship Quarterfinals. They advanced to the Semifinals where they will face Canada.

         Czech Republic would take a 1-0 lead late in the 1^st when Tomas Zohorna scored on a shorthanded penalty shot. USA had a lot more energy to begin the 2^nd. Auston Matthews stuffed the puck into the net 90 seconds into the period to tie the game at 1. Both teams exchanged chances in the 2^nd, but nobody could break through.

         Though the Czechs took many penalties in the 3^rd, USA was unable to score on their power play opportunities because of Czech goaltender Dominik Furch. The game couldn’t be decided in regulation or overtime, so it went to a shootout. USA would be victorious thanks to Auston Matthews, who scored the shootout winning goal. Goalie Keith Kinkaid was also spectacular, making 31 saves and stopping all 3 Czech shooters. The winner of the USA vs. Canada Semifinal game will face the winner of the Finland vs. Russia Semifinal game in the gold medal match.