NHL Playoffs 2016: Stanley Cup Conference Final Schedule and Predictions

The San Jose Sharks did not get the jump on the St. Louis Blues in the first game of their Western Conference Final series.

Don't expect head coach Peter DeBoer to do anything unusual with his lineup following the 2-1 loss. The Sharks had jumped out ahead of the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators in their first two series but will have to play come-from-behind hockey in this series.

DeBoer was not upset with the way his team played and doesn't have to do anything unusual with his lineup.

"Again, we're not going to overreact to it," DeBoer said, per NHL.com's Louie Korac. "It was a winnable game, [we] probably had more quality chances than they did. If we're coming out of that game having been dominated possession, chance, weren't getting anything going offensively, then you look to shuffle the deck. But I don't think that was the case."

The Sharks reacted quickly to a David Backes goal in the opener, as Tomas Hertl scored 34 seconds later. However, when Jori Lehtera scored from the left-wing boards on a slap shot at the 9:15 mark of the second period, the Sharks could not get the game-tying goal behind Brian Elliott.

Elliott has been quite sharp throughout the playoffs (2.20 goals-against average, .932 save percentage), and the Sharks will need to figure him out quickly if they are going to square the series in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Elliott stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and outplayed San Jose goalie Martin Jones, who appeared to misread Lehtera's long shot, fooled by a change-of-pace shot.

Matchup	Series Standings	Next Game	Time (ET)	TV	Series Prediction
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues	St. Louis, 1-0	May 17	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS	St. Louis in 7
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins	1-1	May 18	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS	Pittsburgh in 7

On the other hand, the Sharks had the territorial-play advantage in the second period and again late in the third period after pulling Jones. The Sharks threw shot after shot at Elliott, and he stood tall. A long wrist shot from Joe Thornton got by him, but it glanced off the post and did no harm. 

"When your goalie's your best player, it gives you a great chance of winning, and that was the case tonight," Backes said, per Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. "It was that way for the first two rounds, and nothing's changed in Game 1 of the third round."

The Sharks certainly have the firepower to turn things around in this series. Joe Pavelski has scored nine postseason goals, Logan Couture has scored 17 points and big defenseman Brent Burns has 16 points. Those core players need to respond in Game 2, or the Sharks will return to the SAP Center with a 2-0 deficit Thursday night.

They hope to mimic the Pittsburgh Penguins, who tied up their series Monday night with the Tampa Bay Lightning when they registered a 3-2 overtime victory.

Sidney Crosby turned the Conference Final round of the playoffs into a much more compelling event when his slap shot at 40 seconds of overtime beat Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Crosby took a pass from Bryan Rust and fired the puck into the top corner to even the series at one game apiece. 

The Pens had jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Lightning tied it up before the end of the first period. The two teams battled through scoreless second and third periods before Crosby ended matters quickly in the extra session. 

The two teams will play Wednesday night in Tampa's Amalie Arena.

Predictions

While the Blues got the jump on the Sharks in the first game, this series has a marathon look to it. The Sharks can match the Blues in firepower and had the best of the territorial play in the first game.

DeBoer understands that losing one game does not throw his team into a panic mode. Look for the Sharks to get the jump in Game 2 and even the series.

This series will go seven games, and the Blues will survive the finale. St. Louis has already won two seven-game series.

The Lightning are a very talented team, and Vasilevskiy is one of the most talented backup goalies in the league. He has played well in the first two games of the series, but the Lightning are hoping to get starter Ben Bishop back in the lineup after he suffered an injury in Game 1.

The Penguins have been hot since the end of the regular season, when they closed the year by winning 14 of their final 16 regular-season games. Look for Crosby and Co. to win the series in seven games.