San Jose Sharks Defeat St. Louis Blues in Six Games to Advance to the Stanley Cup

 The San Jose Sharks have had a successful franchise, but they have yet to reach hockey’s greatest spectacle. Now, that brutally long wait is finally over. The San Jose Sharks will be in the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, after defeating the St. Louis Blues in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. 

San Jose didn’t have the home ice advantage, but they didn’t let that faze them. Game 1 was at the Scottrade Center, where goalie Brian Elliott delivered a masterful performance, and the Blues defeated the Sharks, 2-1. Game 2 was back in St. Louis, as the Sharks needed this win to avoid falling into a 0-2 hole. San Jose responded emphatically, as they defeated the Blues, 4-0, and things were all tied at 1 heading back to San Jose. 

Game 3 was to be held at the SAP Center, and the Sharks responded to the fans in the “Shark Tank”.  San Jose defeated the Blues 3-0, to take the 2-1 series lead. St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock decided to make a goalie change for Game 4 of this series. Hitchcock said there was nothing wrong with Elliott’s play, but the team just needed a spark. 

Clearly, the change sparked the Blues in Game 4, as they defeated San Jose 6-3, to even the series at 2 games apiece. The series shifted back to St. Louis for Game 5, as the winner would take the decisive series lead. San Jose shocked the Blues, as they defeated St. Louis 6-3, and Jake Allen was benched in favor of Elliott for Game 6. The series shifted back to San Jose for Game 6, as San Jose looked to close out the series. 

As the Sharks have done in all close-out games these playoffs, they absolutely dominated. San Jose defeated the Blues 5-2, to close out St. Louis, and San Jose punched its ticket to the Stanley Cup. Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer is back in the Stanley Cup for the first time since he made it with the Devils in 2012.  

Goaltending was again crucial in this series, as Martin Jones played a huge role for the Sharks. Also playing huge roles were the Sharks’ veterans. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Patrick Marleau all were key contributors in this series, as they are all appearing in their first Stanley Cup. San Jose will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final.