Game 3: BLUES at SHARKS
Western Conference Final
Best-of-7 series tied 1-1
TV: 9 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
SAN JOSE -- The St. Louis Blues are likely to make some lineup changes for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Thursday.
The Blues and Sharks headed west after they split two games at Scottrade Center: St. Louis won 2-1 in Game 1 but lost 4-0 in Game 2 on Tuesday.
St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock wasn't happy with the way his team played in either game.
"I think changing your lineup has a real impact," Hitchcock said Wednesday before the Blues left for San Jose. "There can't be any emotion in the coaches' decisions at this time. You have to do what's best for your team. One of the greatest things we've had going through injuries is flexibility. That's really helped us in the playoffs.
"You put the numbers up on the board and guys haven't gotten all shook up because they're on different lines because they've played on those lines before. ... I don't know if we've been lucky or we've been experienced, but we've made adjustments all playoffs and every one of them has worked. We're probably going to have to make a few more tomorrow and hopefully they work."
Hitchcock declined to reveal any potential changes. One possible move would be to have either Ryan Reaves or Dmitrij Jaskin replace Steve Ott on the fourth line. Reaves has appeared in five playoff games and Jaskin two; each was a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2.
Ott took a penalty in each game against San Jose and had no points and two shots on goal. He has one point, an assist, in nine playoff games this spring.
If Hitchcock makes a change on the blue line, Robert Bortuzzo would likely replace rookie Joel Edmundson. Bortuzzo has appeared in four playoff games; Edmundson has played 13. He has one goal and a minus-3 rating.
Hitchcock split up Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and center Jori Lehtera at times against the Dallas Stars in the second round, but the "STL Line" was back together for Games 1 and 2 against the Sharks. There's always a chance that line could be part of a shuffle again for Game 3, with Lehtera trading places with third-line center Alexander Steen.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said he had "no idea" whether Hitchcock would make changes.
"I don't profess to coach Hitch's team," DeBoer said, smiling. "He might [profess to coach] mine once in a while."
DeBoer has made only a handful of lineup changes during the playoffs and typically has stood pat after a victory.
Third-line left wing Matt Nieto remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury he sustained in Game 6 of the second round against the Nashville Predators. He has been skating but didn't play in the first two games against St. Louis.
Blues team scope: The Blues had what Hitchcock described as a "real good meeting" in St. Louis before traveling to San Jose. "We'll be much better [Thursday]," Hitchcock said. His advice to the Blues was to go from "furious to curious" in a hurry. "You're always disappointed and angry when you lose, you're driving home," he said. "The next morning you better be curious and looking for things you can fix. We were able to do that right away [Wednesday] morning."
Sharks team scope: The Sharks went 18-20-3 at home during the regular season, but they've recaptured their home-ice edge in the playoffs, going 5-1 through two rounds and 4-0 against Nashville. "We've been very good at home through the playoffs," DeBoer said. "I think we're comfortable here at home. We said it after the Nashville series: If you got a Game 7, you would rather play at home. I think that was a big help for us. We don't have home ice advantage in this series, but by getting that split, we do now. We've got to take advantage of it." That might not be easy: St. Louis is 5-2 on the road during the playoffs, including a Game 7 win at the Dallas Stars in the second round.
Your pregame musicSAN JOSE, Calif. -- When Peter DeBoer took over as coach in San Jose one of the first tasks he wanted to complete was making sure the Sharks were more than just a power-play team.
Improved depth and 5-on-5 play helped get San Jose back to the postseason after missing it a year ago, but come playoff time that power play has served as an impressive weapon and a barometer for the team's success.
One game after getting shut out on the man advantage, the Sharks struck twice following St. Louis penalties in a 4-0 win Tuesday night that tied the series at one game apiece heading into Game 3 on Thursday in San Jose.
"It creates momentum for us," DeBoer said Wednesday. "I think that's what you're looking to do with your special teams both ways, is create momentum. I think when our power play scores, that creates momentum. I think when we kill penalties like we did last night, like that four-minute penalty, I think that creates momentum the other way for us. That's what you're looking to do as a coach, is get momentum out of your special teams. I think that does that for us."
The Sharks lead the NHL with 15 power-play goals this postseason and their 30 percent success rate is tops among all teams that have played more than one round. San Jose is 13-for-32 on the power play in nine playoff wins, compared to 2-for-18 in its five losses.
With a five-man top unit that has years of experience together, San Jose is a finely tuned unit. Joe Thornton is the playmaker, spending most of his time along the half-boards or behind the net. He has plenty of options.
Brent Burns scored both power-play goals in Game 2 off one-timers that St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott had little chance to save. Captain Joe Pavelski led the team with 12 power-play goals in the regular season, with many coming on deflections in front of the net or rebounds. Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau bring versatility with the ability to create plays for teammates or score on big shots of their own.
"Our power play's pretty free-flowing," Thornton said. "Really just can't key on one guy. We got five guys that can hurt you. I think for us it's just the way you move around, it's really hard to defend."
The Blues managed to neutralize the Sharks in Game 1 when they killed all three power plays in a 2-1 victory. They were short-handed five times in Game 2, including a slash behind the play by Troy Brouwer that led to the Sharks' second goal of the game and an interference call on Steve Ott for hitting Pavelski from behind when the puck was not in the area.
"The penalties you don't like at this time of year are reactionary penalties," coach Ken Hitchcock. `We had two reactionary penalties yesterday, one in the first game. Those are the ones you don't like. Doesn't matter who takes them, veterans, rookies. That's a sign that the other team has a little bit of an advantage, they're making you react to anything happening on the ice. Those are the ones you don't like."
The other big difference in Game 2 was that the Blues failed to take advantage of their power-play chances. After getting a man-advantage goal from captain David Backes to open the scoring in Game 1, St. Louis went 0-for-6 on the power play Tuesday night, including a weak four-minute chance early in the third period when Marleau was called for a high-sticking penalty and the Sharks lead was only 2-0.
San Jose used 13 of its 18 skaters for more than a minute of penalty-killing time with top defensive pair Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun each spending more than 5 minutes on the ice with the Sharks short-handed.
The Blues managed 12 shots on the power play but were unable to beat Martin Jones as the Sharks did a good job controlling rebounds and keeping St. Louis to the outside.
"You want to use the power play to get momentum," forward Robby Fabbri said. "Last night we didn't execute on any of them. Just the way some games go. We got to stay confident and go with our next chances."
Game notes
Hitchcock said he plans to tinker with his lineup for Game 3 but gave no specifics. ... DeBoer said Thornton looked fine Wednesday after taking a slash on his left hand from Jay Bouwmeester during the game.
Your pregame motivational speech
