Blues vs. Sharks: Game 6 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 NHL Playoffs

The San Jose Sharks are headed to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history thanks to a dominant 5-2 Game 6 win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in front of a raucous home crowd at SAP Center.    

Following their 6-3 Game 5 win, the Sharks kept the goals flowing thanks to a pair of tallies from Joel Ward, who scored the game-winner with just under 17 minutes remaining in the third period, as the NHL documented on Twitter: 

The two-goal effort represented Ward's second in as many games, which was stunning considering he scored just two goals in his first 16 career playoff games, per ESPN Stats & Info.  

In other staggering statistical news, two Sharks centerpieces finally broke through with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in play, per Fox Sports' Jon Morosi: 

The Blues were buoyed by two late goals from Vladimir Tarasenko, but it was too little, too late for a team that couldn't muster enough consistency with the puck throughout the game's first 40 minutes. 

Because while the Blues looked jittery throughout the first period, the Sharks peppered goalie Brian Elliott—who was back in net following a two-game stint on the bench—and applied plenty of pressure to assert themselves. 

Early waves of energy didn't take long to pay off, either. With just 3:57 seconds elapsed in the game's first frame, Joe Pavelski followed up a missed breakaway opportunity by Joe Thornton and slipped a backhanded shot home past Elliott: 

According to the Elias Sports Bureau (via NHL.com's Mike Morreale), Pavelski's 13th goal of the postseason "ties him for the third-most by an American-born player in a single postseason." 

The Associated Press' Josh Dubow provided another eye-opening tidbit regarding Pavelski's opening tally: 

St. Louis stabilized some throughout the latter stages of the first period, but it couldn't find twine with Martin Jones thriving in the crease, via NBCSN:

A dearth of quality looks came back to bite the Blues, namely because the Sharks refused to take their foot off the gas. 

Although San Jose squandered a chance to go up 2-0 after Troy Brouwer was slapped with a penalty for interference just 36 seconds into the second period, Ward punctuated a Brent Burns slap shot from the blue line to put the home team up a deuce just over five minutes into the stanza:

St. Louis found some more success as the second period progressed, and the small bit of momentum it seized was all thanks to a strong penalty kill. 

A four-minute minor on Scottie Upshall for high-sticking gave the Sharks a sizable window to push their lead to 3-0, but a strong effort by the Blues' big bodies appeared to inject head coach Ken Hitchcock's team with some much-needed confidence. 

However, an uptick in scoring chances didn't result in St. Louis lighting the lamp, as NHL.com's Lou Korac observed: 

The Blues' best second-period chance came via a Jori Lehtera one-timer, but Jones slid post-to-post to preserve his team's two-goal edge: 

Ward's second goal just 3:01 into the final frame put San Jose up 3-0, and the Sharks could smell blood at that point. Of course, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that San Jose broke through in the first few minutes of the third period. 

According to CSNBayArea.com's Kevin Kurz, the Sharks entered Game 6 a cool 7-0 when leading following two periods, thanks to a 26-12 scoring edge in third periods overall throughout the postseason. 

Joonas Donskoi converted a rip from between the circles for a 4-0 lead, and his second goal of the series propelled the Sharks into the Stanley Cup Final in style. 

San Jose will now await the winner of Thursday's Game 7 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, both of whom split their season series with the Western Conference champions. 

The Penguins would represent a stiff test based on top-tier talent alone, but the Lightning have to be considered a daunting foe if Steven Stamkos (blood clot) and goalie Ben Bishop (lower body) are able to return with some hardware on the line. 

However, San Jose will welcome either opponent into the Shark Tank with open arms. Head coach Peter DeBoer's club put on a scoring showcase against a physically stout Blues team, and it should be able to match the speed Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh boasts when the championship series gets underway. 

Postgame Reaction

The NHL on NBC relayed video of the customary handshake line following San Jose's historic win: 

Once pleasantries were exchanged, Pavelski wisely avoided touching the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, as the NHL documented on Twitter: 

"It's encouraging. In our biggest games, we've had our best effort," Jones said, per the team's official Twitter account. 

Back in the Blues locker room, Korac reported that Brouwer expressed uncertainty regarding his future: 

Elsewhere, ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun noted the Blues were a bit dejected once their season came to a close: 

"I see the devastation in our locker room," Hitchcock said, per the Blues' Twitter account. "Guys aren’t even able to speak."

As for the Sharks, Thornton told the NBC broadcast he doesn't care which team comes out on top in the Eastern Conference. 

"If they want to dress 40, I'll play 'em both," he said, according to Fox40 Sacramento's Jim Crandell.