GDT Game 1: 5/15/16 | 7:00PM CST | v Sharks | NBCSN/Y98

[Toasted Oates]

Don't want to get too confident; I know better by now. But the Sharks are never going to have it better than they had it in the 2nd period. Considering that, Game 1 was a bad ass win.

7 more.

[theohall]

Even with the Sharks dominating zone play in the 2nd period... how many odd man breaks did the Blues give up in this game? How many odd man breaks did the Sharks allow? The difference is quite large in favor of the Blues... and this is with the Blues, per Hitchcock, not playing with enough emotional intensity. Good win! Looking forward to the next one.

[WaukeeBlues]

Even with the Sharks dominating zone play in the 2nd period... how many odd man breaks did the Blues give up in this game? How many odd man breaks did the Sharks allow? The difference is quite large in favor of the Blues... and this is with the Blues, per Hitchcock, not playing with enough emotional intensity. Good win! Looking forward to the next one.

Elliott was a beast and we got a bit of a break on a soft goal. That was the difference in the game. Even Backes in the post game interview admitted they didn't play their best and a bit fortunate to escape with the W. Always more fun to learn from a win than to learn from a loss though.

I gotta tell you, the bounces have gone the Blues way virtually this entire playoff season. It's been unbelievable.

I would fully expect that this series also goes 7.

[gaijin]

I gotta tell you, the bounces have gone the Blues way virtually this entire playoff season. It's been unbelievable.

I wouldn't say that. It seems like every game we get a goal disallowed for something. And in the Blackhawks series, the officiating was definitely against us.

But we are getting more bounces than we usually do. And so far, that seems to be a huge difference.

[Portland Blues]

Sharks coach seems like a whiny baby - begging for penalty calls in upcoming games, talking about how the Sharks travel more than anyone else, etc.

[theohall]

Sharks coach seems like a whiny baby - begging for penalty calls in upcoming games, talking about how the Sharks travel more than anyone else, etc.

If he's complaining about travel, he shouldn't have taken a hockey coaching gig in Cali-friggin-fornia.

[fargoblues]

Sharks coach seems like a whiny baby - begging for penalty calls in upcoming games, talking about how the Sharks travel more than anyone else, etc.

DeBoer is being DeBitch

[StL Dan]

Sharks coach seems like a whiny baby - begging for penalty calls in upcoming games, talking about how the Sharks travel more than anyone else, etc.

Yyyyyep!

[ecbm]

Elliott was a beast and we got a bit of a break on a soft goal. That was the difference in the game.

Meh, I don't know. Correct me if I'm wrong, but their goal seemed pretty fluky.

As for bounces going someone's way and DeBoer's bitching-it's just stuff you notice when you're not winning. Like the Blues' goaltending in recent playoffs, which has always been just average, not bad. But you notice it wasn't great when your summer starts in late April. Consider DeBoer: his team had more power plays and the Blues had a goal overturned. What more could he have expected from the officials? Nothing (and he should be more concerned about the puck that went right through his hologram goalie) but since his team lost, here we are. While in reality, the Blues averaged less than 1 more minor penalty per game than the Sharks this season.