Let's Go Blues

Game 1: SHARKS at BLUES

Western Conference Final

TV: 8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

The St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday, each continuing their pursuit of their first Stanley Cup.

"One of these four teams (remaining) is going to win the Cup, and we're thinking in this room, 'Why not us?'" Blues captain David Backes said. "And we're going to go out there and put the work in to do everything we can to take care of what we can control."

The Blues reached the conference final by defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in seven games before knocking out the No. 1 seed in the West, the Dallas Stars, in seven games in the second round.

St. Louis is vying for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1970.

"There's four teams left. All four teams are really committed to their games. They're different," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "For me, two teams that play similar play in the East (the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins). and two teams that play similar play in the West. Both of us are pretty committed to a pretty similar game and both have found success playing a certain way, and it just happens to be that the two teams that play in the West, it has a lot of familiarities to each other. Pittsburgh and Tampa [Bay] the same way. They're built a little different than us and San Jose are, and they play the same way, almost the identical way to each other.

"Interesting dynamic, but I think all of us know we've got our hands full and we expect it with four teams left that these are the four most committed teams. There's not going to be any surprises out there."

The Sharks have played two fewer playoff games than the Blues. San Jose defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round in five games before knocking out the Nashville Predators in seven games in the second round.

San Jose is vying for a spot in the Cup Final for the first time.

"Every step to the Stanley Cup is a little tougher," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "There's only four teams left. You look at (the Blues') regular season, 107 points, and dealing with the injuries they dealt with, they probably could have had 115 if they had stayed healthy. It's a big test for us. We're going to go in and throw our best game at them and see what happens."

This is the fifth time the Blues and Sharks have played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each team has won two series, with the Blues winning the most recent in 2012 in five games in the first round.

Sharks team scope: Forwards Matt Nieto (undisclosed) and Joel Ward (maintenance) did not practice Saturday. DeBoer said Ward will play in Game 1, but Nieto is day-to-day after missing Game 7 of the second round against the Predators. "Getting better every day," DeBoer said. "So we'll see. It's day-to-day. We'll see how he feels [Sunday] and make some decisions." DeBoer wouldn't disclose a lineup switch but there's a chance Patrick Marleau could center the third line to offset the Blues' depth. Marleau has been used in that spot in the playoffs.

Blues team scope: Hitchcock went back with a familiar lineup combination during practice Saturday, moving center Jori Lehtera between Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko on the "STL Line" and putting Alexander Steen back with Patrik Berglund and Backes. "I'm not sure why I did that, but it seemed like a good idea at the time, so ... I don't know," Hitchcock said. "We just feel like from a chemistry standpoint, Lehtera and Tarasenko and Schwartz have had good chemistry. Because of the way Dallas' lines were formulated, we needed a different mix in our first two lines and we found it. But I think going back, this line combination makes us more comfortable."

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The rest of the postseason, the St. Louis Blues have home-ice advantage. Now, if they can only capitalize on it.

The Blues are in the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2001 not because of those rip-roaring, standing room crowds, but because they've been so good at blocking out the noise elsewhere.

They're 3-4 in the Scottrade Center and 5-2 in the other two rinks, including the 6-1 knockout blow in Game 7 of the second round at Dallas two days after they fumbled a chance to wrap up the series at home.

Heading into Game 1 Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks, the message from coach Ken Hitchcock to the players is time honored: Keep it simple, get the puck to the open man, avoid heroics.

''One-on-one hockey is for November and February,'' Hitchcock said Saturday. ''Not now.''

Ensemble work, combined with sterling goaltending by Brian Elliott, has carried the Blues this far. Six players have at least 10 points and five others have at least a half-dozen points.

''I think it doesn't matter who you are playing now, both teams are going to be good home and on the road,'' Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. ''So we have to make sure we play our game.''

The Sharks were the NHL's best road team during the season, although that hasn't carried over to the playoffs. They were 4-0 at home in the second round against the Predators, and 0-3 in Nashville.

''That's the playoffs,'' San Jose forward Tommy Wingels said. ''You're expected to win at home and hold serve. If we can go in and continue winning games on the road, I'll be very happy.''

Both teams are strangers in recent years to deep playoff runs, and neither has won a Cup. San Jose, in the Western Conference final for the first time since 2005, took two of three during the season.

But this, every coach and player will tell you, is a different animal.

MAKING THE STOPS: The 31-year-old Elliott has thrived in his first extended postseason opportunity, making an NHL-high 441 saves. Elliott was a ninth-round pick in 2003 by Ottawa. ''It's something you wake up in the morning and you just try to have that same winning feeling,'' Elliott said.

Goalie was one of the biggest questions facing the Sharks heading into the playoffs given Martin Jones, formerly undrafted, had not made a postseason start. Jones has passed the test so far, posting a 2.16 goals-against average and giving San Jose its first playoff shutout in six years in the Game 7 clincher last round against the Predators. ''We're confident in him,'' coach Peter DeBoer said. ''He's been great all year for us.''

CLUTCH COUTURE: It took awhile for Sharks center Logan Couture to regain form after missing about two months early in the season with a broken leg. He's at the top of his game this postseason, leading the NHL with 17 points, including a franchise-record 11 in the second round. His presence gives the Sharks a second top center behind Joe Thornton and makes it tough for opponents to match up.

X FACTOR: Blues center Patrik Berglund is playing perhaps the best of his career with four goals, four assists and a team-leading plus-9 rating. He missed about half of the regular season, totaling 10 goals and five assists.

''Did you see me in Juniors? I was sick,'' Berglund joked. ''No, I'm happy with how I'm playing right now but there's more to go, so I hope I can elevate it even more.''

POTENT POWER PLAY: The Sharks' top-ranked power-play unit has been together for years and has been a work of art this postseason. With playmaking from Joe Thornton, a big shot from the point from Brent Burns, Joe Pavelski's ability to find open space and versatility from Couture and Patrick Marleau, the Sharks have converted at 31 percent - the best of any team that made it past the first round. In its victories, San Jose has converted 41 percent. The best defense against that unit: Stay out of the penalty box.

''It keeps the other team honest,'' DeBour said. ''Again, you need all the pieces. I think the further you get, you can't just survive on power play.''

xbleed83bluex wrote:4) And the coaching. San Jose's coach has said he's determined to win the cup. Hitchcock has actually said, "this is fun. We want to play as long as we can..." It's a little unnerving he referred to the playoffs as "fun" but the fact that he said The Blues want to "play as long we can" means he's putting a limit on a team. He should say, "we will play until we win the cup, no question." The coaching staff for San Jose has much more drive.

dmiles2186 wrote:

xbleed83bluex wrote:4) And the coaching. San Jose's coach has said he's determined to win the cup. Hitchcock has actually said, "this is fun. We want to play as long as we can..." It's a little unnerving he referred to the playoffs as "fun" but the fact that he said The Blues want to "play as long we can" means he's putting a limit on a team. He should say, "we will play until we win the cup, no question." The coaching staff for San Jose has much more drive.

Hitch has also said they understand the situation is bigger than the team and that they are playing for the city of St. Louis. They understand the magnitude. I think Hitch has been very colorful with the media this year. I don't read into his 'fun' comments as much as you do. In fact, I like that he describes the playoffs as fun. Keep it light, keep it loose. If you can't have fun playing this deep into the playoffs, when can you?

Hitch was hired to do one job so I'm guessing he has the drive and the determination to win a Cup. This is a guy who has won that trophy, gone back to the Finals another time, and helped Canada win Gold medals in the Olympics. This isn't saying anything negative about De Boer, of course. He's been to the Cup Finals himself. But look at Hitch's presser history so far in the playoffs: he's been playful and a little cheeky (70 hits, etc.). Same goes for the 'play as long as we can.' I don't think that's a limit on the team whatsoever. Honestly, Hitch has done a pretty phenomenal job so far this postseason both with his public comments and shuffling the lineup. He's been in a zone much like the team has (and for the record, I wanted Hitch gone last summer).

xbleed83bluex wrote:I'm not going to lie, but playing the Sharks scares me. Playing Chicago scared me too, and we struggled through that one, and now we are facing a much hungrier team, deeper into the Playoffs, so it's going to Chicago on steroids.

When you compare with the Blues:

1) Sharks are playing desperation hockey right now. Both the Blues and Sharks have historical motivation to win this series, with the Blues never winning a cup and the Sharks never winning a final, but the historical momentum seems to be swinging in the Sharks favor right now: the Sharks have two franchise players in Thornton and Marleau who have been there for a very long time who are due for a cup.

2) Sharks have been consistently great thus far. The Blues have had bad games and periods. The Blues have lost 3 games that could've won them the series. You can't do that against the Sharks; one bad game could decide the series.

3) The Blues 2 high-scoring domination games in Dallas was the result of shaky goaltending. The Sharks managed to score 5-0 on a great goaltender in Pekka Rinne. We've only managed to win the Chicago games by one goal, as Crawford played great. This means the Sharks can score numerous goals on a good goaltender, and the Blues have yet to do so.

4) And the coaching. San Jose's coach has said he's determined to win the cup. Hitchcock has actually said, "this is fun. We want to play as long as we can..." It's a little unnerving he referred to the playoffs as "fun" but the fact that he said The Blues want to "play as long we can" means he's putting a limit on a team. He should say, "we will play until we win the cup, no question." The coaching staff for San Jose has much more drive.

I really really hope the Blues will win. But my unbiased, impartial opinion is, well, they're going to get a fight. They will really have to amp it up here.