In Game 1, it looked like the Sharks scorers had figured out how to beat the Blues superb goaltending and defense. Well, apparently they need a refresher because they were shut out by Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott on Saturday. San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi stopped 29 shots, but it wasn’t enough as St. Louis ended up earning a 3-0 victory. The series is now tied at 1-1 and Game 3 will be in San Jose on Monday.
Here’s some discussion topics:
- Halak left the game because he was hit by teammate Barret Jackman in a race for the puck. Fortunately the Blues backup goaltender led the league in GAA, save percentage, and was second in shutouts in the regular season.
- San Jose’s T.J. Galiardi got in what looked like a head hit on Andy McDonald, who has a history of concussions. Galiardi got just two minutes for charging. Combine that with some of the other plays we saw Saturday and it looks like head hits could be a recurring theme again during the 2012 playoffs. How Brendan Shanahan responds to them in the postseason will be something to keep a close eye on in the days to come.
- Including Galiardi’s hit, there were a fair number of power-play opportunities for both teams, but neither could capitalize with the man advantage.
- If you want to include the regular season, this is the third time that St. Louis has shutout San Jose in 2011-12.