NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: Game 5 Preview and TV Info for Sharks vs. Blues

It took a whole three games for the St. Louis Blues to finally find their offensive groove.

All it took was playing the way they've played all postseason long; aggressive and fast.

Their 6-3 win in Game 4 over the San Jose Sharks showed the Blues are very much capable of getting their offense going. What made that victory even more emphatic was Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko was held without a point for the fourth time in this series. 

The Blues proved they're a team beyond the superstardom of Tarasenko and will need that type of play once again if they want to go back to San Jose with a chance to close the series out.

Television Info

What: Western Conference Final, Game 5: San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues

When: Monday, May 23, 8 p.m. ET

Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis

TV: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live

Preview

The switch at goalie by Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock proved to be a moot point. Jake Allen made 31 saves in his replacement effort of Brian Elliott, but St. Louis had a 4-0 lead in the second period and didn't seem to be in danger of losing it.

Hot hand or not, Hitchcock is sticking with Allen in Game 5.

"I'm comfortable with either guy, but I woke up [Sunday] morning, talked to the coaches again and decided to go with Jake," Hitchcock said, per Louie Korac of NHL.com.

Elliott has been a terrific asset for the Blues this postseason, but Hitchcock said he thinks the team was putting too much work on Elliott to make plays, per Korac:

"

We weren't playing for [Elliott]. We were relying on him, and there's a big difference. We needed to play harder for a goalie. It didn't matter if it was [Elliott] or Jake or whatever. [Elliott] was standing on his head and we were giving up too many quality scoring chances, too many easy chances, too many odd-man rushes and we were getting comfortable thinking, in my opinion, that the goalie could stop everything. 

We just needed to compete a lot harder for whoever was in goal, and that was why I made the change. It had nothing to do with Brian and his play. He's been unbelievable since the start of playoffs, but we needed, in my opinion, to jolt ourselves into playing a lot harder for whoever was in the net.

"

Whether or not Hitchcock believes this to be a change that's needed, the Sharks let a golden opportunity get away in Game 4. After dominating in Games 2 and 3, San Jose could have put a stranglehold on this series. The series could have very well ended by Monday had San Jose not let up like they did Saturday.

"It's all fixable," Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer said, per Paul Gackle of the San Jose Mercury News. "We've got to be better in all areas and I'm sure we will be."

The Sharks pitched back-to-back shutouts, including a 3-0 shutout at home in Game 3. Their defense and active sticks were what kept the Blues offense in check for 120 minutes. San Jose feels it can get back to that level and improve greatly in St. Louis.

"That's not our game," Sharks forward Tommy Wingels said, per Gackle, referencing San Jose's 19 giveaways and two power-play goals allowed in Game 4. "We play three games (in this series) one way and one game the wrong way, it's easy to look at and see which one works and which one doesn't."

San Jose proved it can win on the road. Knowing St. Louis has its confidence back on offense, though, will be challenging. This game will show the Sharks and Blues at their best in their respective strengths. Whichever side plays the best will take the 3-2 lead back to San Jose.