Blues vs. Sharks: The Biggest Takeaways from San Jose's Series Win

The series between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks had its theme picked out before the first faceoff: Both teams were in search of redemption.

The Blues returned to the third round for the first time since 2000-01, but many of the primary personalities from that team—men like Chris Pronger and coach Joel Quenneville—found glory and Stanley Cups in other NHL cities.

The Sharks were a strong contender for the Stanley Cup in each season since 2003-04 but had never made it to the Stanley Cup Final before Wednesday night.

Both teams had to get past opponents that were considered powers in their respective divisions—San Jose with the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Impact players wrote the script for both sides. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture led the Sharks offense, while Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic were making a difference defensively.

The Blues received impressive—if inconsistent—offense from Vladimir Tarasenko, Troy Brouwer and David Backes. Brian Elliott was superb in the first two rounds but faltered and was rested in the heart of the series against San Jose.

Both the Sharks and Blues gave fans a fantastic 10 days of entertainment. Now it is on to the finals for Sharks fans, while another summer of bitter disappointment awaits St. Louis.

St. Louis Blues: Ken Hitchcock Blinks When Deploying Goalies

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Ken Hitchcock of the St. Louis Blues is a veteran coach with a Stanley Cup ring and an outstanding resume. Early in the series, he made the decision to move away from Brian Elliott—who had been outstanding in the first two series—and use Jake Allen in the starting role.

With the series tied at one game each, Hitchcock pulled Elliott 46 minutes into Game 3—the exact moment Tomas Hertl scored the third goal of the game against St. Louis—and brought in Allen to finish the loss.

Allen was given the net for Game 4 and stood tall when needed in a fairly easy 6-3 victory to tie the series at two games each. Allen stayed in goal for the next contest, and his uneven performance contributed to a 6-3 loss in Game 5 that placed the Blues on the verge of elimination.

In the final game of the series, a massive save at one end—by Sharks goalie Martin Jones—was followed by a breakaway and then a goalmouth exchange that saw Pavelski score on Elliott.

Elliott was the difference in so many games this spring but made no difference at all in the deciding contest.

San Jose Sharks: Deadly at Even Strength

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The Sharks lead the playoffs in goals per game, giving the team an enormous advantage in each of its three series this spring.

Part of that advantage comes on the power play, as the Sharks rank No. 1 in power-play goals as the team enters the Stanley Cup Final. During the series against the St. Louis Blues, four important goals came with the man advantage.

The revelation in this series came at even strength, where the Sharks pummeled St. Louis—18 goals to eight—when the two teams played straight up. Pavelski, Hertl and Joel Ward led the way with three even-strength goals each, reflecting the tremendous depth boasted by San Jose this spring.

As San Jose prepares for the Stanley Cup Final, it is important to note that 11 different Sharks scored at least one goal during the series against St. Louis. No matter who wins the Eastern Conference, dealing with three scoring lines and an active defense in San Jose will be very difficult.

The toughest decision in the final round may be deciding who wins the Conn Smythe Trophy.

St. Louis Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko Faded in Round 3

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Tarasenko began the playoffs strongly for the Blues, scoring four goals and six points in the first series against the Chicago Blackhawks. Among his four tallies were three vital even-strength goals and 26 shots.

In the second series against the Dallas Stars, Tarasenko posted seven points in seven games, including three goals. He was once again a terror at even strength, scoring another three goals in the series.

The Sharks offered a bigger challenge due to their exceptional depth and ability to control play.

Tarasenko did not score a point until late in the third period of the final game of the six-game series. By that time, the result was long decided, and he was unable to give his team a lift in any game of the series—despite the two late goals in Game 6.

Iain MacIntyre of Postmedia (via the Toronto Sun) wrote about the young winger's struggles, including quotes from coach Ken Hitchcock related to maturation. Vlasic was mentioned as being a brilliant shadow for Tarasenko throughout the series.

San Jose Sharks: The Turning Point

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

In a playoff spring with a mountain of goals, the turning point in Game 6 came moments before the opening goal. With the Blues showing well early in the first period, Sharks goalie Martin Jones made a splendid save on St. Louis forward Alex Steen. If Steen had scored, the result could have been different in Game 6. 

Seconds later, Joe Thornton was sent free on a breakaway. He was unable to score, but in the chaos that followed, Joe Pavelski cashed in the opening goal of the game. San Jose never trailed the rest of the way.

It has been 25 years since the Sharks lined up for the opening faceoff in franchise history. The team heading to the Stanley Cup Final is a formidable offensive group, but the turning point in the deciding game of this series belonged to goaltender Martin Jones.

St. Louis Blues: Changes?

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The Blues finally got past the Chicago Blackhawks in a playoff series—and still could not get out of the Western Conference.

The frustration and disappointment will eventually ease, and management will have to decide on the future of Hitchcock and much of the roster.

Backes, Brouwer and others are unrestricted free agents, according to NHL Numbers. Jaden Schwartz is a restricted free agent, and star defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and two-way forward Alex Steen are just one year from free agency.

Against that backdrop, it is also true that St. Louis has just completed its most successful season in decades, and making sweeping decisions about personnel is probably unwise.

The salary cap will force Blues management to move away from important players, but any kind of overhaul seems inadvisable.

Trading Shattenkirk for immediately useful role players may be as disruptive as St. Louis chooses to be, and considering how successful the Blues were this spring, that may be the wisest course of action.