Stanley Cup Playoffs Day by day: Blues push Sharks to the brink
Emily KaplanESPN
The San Jose Sharks are on the point of elimination but once more. In the meantime, the St. Louis Blues are one win away from their first Stanley Cup Closing look since 1970, which was their third yr of existence.
Here is a recap of final evening’s motion (try replays of each playoff recreation on ESPN+) and what to look at for Tuesday evening, in immediately’s version of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Day by day:
Bounce forward: Final evening’s recreation | Three stars
Play of the evening | Social publish of the day
About final evening …
Recreation 5: St. Louis Blues 5, San Jose Sharks zero (Blues lead the collection Three-2)
The Sharks began out robust and had a number of early appears to be like. However then issues went sideways: San Jose could not get one in whereas the Blues — the most effective street group in these playoffs, now 7-2 away from residence — capitalized. St. Louis amped issues up within the second interval, outshooting the Sharks 20-6. St. Louis has now outscored San Jose 7-1 for the reason that controversial hand cross play that ended Recreation Three.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer admitted his group misplaced his composure within the third, particularly when Joe Pavelski bought hit excessive and needed to exit the sport.
Pavelski to the locker room after this hit #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/sabOojxJ1K
– Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) Might 19, 2019
Pavelski was one in every of 4 gamers — which additionally included the hobbled Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl, the group’s second-leading purpose scorer — who ended up within the locker room earlier than the ultimate whistle.
Three stars
1. Jaden Schwartz, LW, St. Louis Blues. Schwartz did not have the common season he needed, scoring solely 11 objectives, lower than half of his 2017-18 complete. He is compensating for it with a monster postseason. Along with his second postseason hat trick, Schwartz now has 12 objectives in 18 video games.
2 Associated
That makes Schwartz solely the third participant in NHL historical past to attain extra objectives within the postseason than the common season (minimal 10 objectives common season). The opposite two? Claude Lemieux in 1996-97 and Marian Gaborik in 2013-14.
2. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, St. Louis Blues. There was some discourse early in these playoffs about Tarasenko not being engaged. He is one of many purest purpose scorers within the NHL, and he has been engaged currently, all proper. He turned the primary Blues participant in group historical past to efficiently rating a penalty shot within the playoffs, and tacked on two extra assists to increase his level streak to 5 video games.
Three. Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues. By stopping all 21 photographs, Binnington posted his first shutout of the postseason, and seventh playoff street win. That matches Matt Murray for the second most by a rookie goalie in NHL historical past. Solely Ron Hextall (eight in 1987) had extra.
Play of the evening
OH BABY!!!!! #stlblues #WeAllBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/DQJPMzDFKS
– St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) Might 19, 2019
Tarasenko’s sick launch on full show right here. Martin Jones did not stand an opportunity.
Dud of the evening
Erik Karlsson hobbling round on one leg. Karlsson was laboring simply to skate and we surprise if he ought to have began Recreation 5, or if he’ll be out there for Recreation 6 contemplating he could not end the sport.
Fascinating feedback from DeBoer on Karlsson. To paraphrase: You go along with the data based mostly on what the participant and the medical employees let you know for the sport, however in hindsight there’s remorse having performed him.
– Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) Might 19, 2019
Social publish of the day
Barbie’s bought some strikes.
Quotable
“I believe the Winter Basic was in all probability a kind of, eager to look again, a turning level. I believe that complete ‘Peaky Blinders’ theme actually introduced the blokes collectively.” — Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, on the inspiration for the Bruins (and plenty of, many different NHL gamers) so as to add “newsboy” hats to their Amazon carts.