After getting dominated for most of the first three games in the Western Conference Final, the St. Louis Blues answered in a big way Saturday night.
Game 3 had us asking if the Sharks could be beaten. Well, the Blues looked like a new and refreshed team in Game 4 after Ken Hitchcock’s decision to swap his goalies may have given the rest of the roster a kick in the butt.
You could say the Blues aren’t dead yet.
WHO SAYS THE BLUES NEED THEIR BIG SCORERS?
St. Louis’ top scorer in the regular season, Vladimir Tarasenko, has been struggling in the Western Conference Final against San Jose so far. Hitchcock said he’s learning hard lessons right now — the kind every young player has to learn in his first journey through the playoffs as a “go-to” player.
As Nick Kypreos explored before Game 4 Saturday night, Tarasenko hasn’t been getting shots from the prime areas on the ice against San Jose. He’s been a perimeter player.
After the way the Sharks had been dominating through the first three games, you’d think the Blues would need Tarasenko (and Jaden Schwartz) to play a prominent role in the offence to come back and win this series. But it wasn’t the slick scorers who led the way as they cruised to a 6-3 win on Saturday — it was the grinders, including… Kyle Brodziak?
Brodziak and Troy Brouwer — who Hitchcock took flak for playing over Tarasenko earlier in this playoff run — each had two goals. Brodziak’s were especially nice, a couple of snipe jobs to the top corner, one of which was a shorthanded marker. These two combined for one more shot than Schwartz and Tarasenko.
Still, you’d think those guys will need to get going.
A FIRST FOR GOALIES IN 36 YEARS
It’s a piece of history the four goalies who started Game 1 of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals probably could have done without.
Martin Jones was the last starting goalie to fall — and fall he did in Game 4. Jones entered the game with a shutout streak that spanned more than 150 minutes. He was chasing a Sharks record, but it was quickly snapped just 6:14 into Saturday’s game.
The tandem idea didn’t work out for the Dallas Stars, who are now facing an expensive buyout or perhaps a trade in the off-season. But the conference finals are showing that you don’t need a minute-eating No. 1 starter to contend for the Stanley Cup anymore. In fact, you probably do need a reliable No. 2 to get you through. Remember, the Chicago Blackhawks even needed some help from Scott Darling for five games last season.
While Jake Allen took the reins from Brian Elliott after replacing him in the third period of Thursday’s Game 3, the difference with the Sharks’ situation is that there’s no goalie “controversy” here. We know they’ll be turning back to Martin Jones in Game 5. We’d be shocked if they didn’t, anyway.
But James Reimer, who came in to relieve Jones midway through Saturday’s game, is a reliable goalie the Sharks could turn to in case of injury — or perhaps if Jones has another lacklustre start. He stopped all but one of the seven shots he faced Saturday and gave the Sharks at least a chance to get back into it.
ANNE MURRAY, CANADIAN TREASURE
Some may say that playing hockey this late in May and then into June is too late for hockey. After all, it’s the Victoria Day long weekend in Canada and it’s time to head to the cottage and let loose.
But Anne Murray knows what’s what.
GOOD ON THE SHARKS
In case you missed it, the Sharks invited fan Billy Foley and his family down to the game Saturday from Fort McMurray.
Foley’s family lost their house in the fire that devastated the city, but his girlfriend did save four of his prized San Jose Sharks jerseys before she fled. The Sharks got word of these events and hosted Foley and his family.
Sportsnet’s Christine Simpson found Foley in the crowd Saturday for a quick interview.
