Sharks vs. Blues: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

The St. Louis Blues struck first in this year's Western Conference Final, defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in Game 1 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Sunday.

After the victory, the Blues sent out a celebratory tweet:

Blues goalie Brian Elliott tallied 31 saves and was stellar after allowing a late first-period goal as St. Louis defended home-ice advantage. The Blues are now three wins away from their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1970.

Evenly played games have been a rarity during this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. There have been many one-sided contests, some of which have ended in multigoal comebacks.

The start to this year's Western Conference Final broke that trend. Game 1 saw two goals in a matter of 34 seconds late in the first period. First, David Backes scored his seventh goal of the postseason with a man advantage to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead, via NBCSN:

Backes has flown under the radar in the postseason, but he's at the top in goals scored, per Audrey Dahlgren of KSDK in St. Louis:

Less than a minute later, Joe Pavelski deflected in Brent Burns' shot from near the blue line to tie the game, via the NHL:

San Jose continued to attack after tying the game, but Elliott regained his form from the last two rounds and stifled the Sharks. The quickness he showcased in Game 7 against the Dallas Stars in the second round was on display again Sunday.

Kevin Kurz of CSNBayArea.com was impressed with Elliott's play, especially considering the shot differential:

In the midst of Elliott settling down, the Blues took advantage of turnovers at the other end. Jori Lehtera snagged a loose puck at center ice and fired a shot past San Jose goaltender Martin Jones to give St. Louis a one-goal lead, via the NHL:

San Jose continued to attack the net in the third period, but Elliott made multiple crucial saves to keep the lead. The Blues survived a power play midway through the third period, as well as San Jose's man advantage for the final two minutes after it pulled Jones. In the end, Elliott was the difference-maker once again.

The Blues' game plan has been consistent throughout the playoffs. As long as they capitalize on turnovers and Elliott is at his best, they will be tough to beat. San Jose recorded 32 shots, but Elliott was nearly flawless.

The Sharks will likely find ways to score on Elliott thanks to the efficient play of Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Despite being down 1-0 in the series, San Jose will have plenty of chances to get back on track.

Postgame Reaction

Once Lehtera got the puck at center ice and was on his way to scoring the eventual game-winning goal, he relied on a little bit of luck.

"I just got the puck and closed my eyes and [shot] it," Lehtera said, per Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer doesn't see his team being denied on the power play in Game 2, per Rutherford:

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock also expects this series to be a tough one throughout if Game 1 is any indication.

"If this is the level of hockey that's going to be played, it's going to be a tough battle for both teams," Hitchcock said, per the Blues' Twitter account.

Hitchcock also said, despite beating the defending Stanley Cup champions and the top team in the Western Conference, San Jose is an entirely different animal.

"We haven't played a team like this," Hitchcock said, per the Blues. "This is completely different. They're a heavy, hard team."