Goaltending was the difference in Game 1. And when it comes to what’s looking like an epic battle between the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final, Blues backstop Brian Elliott’s playoff redemption could be the storyline of the series.
It was a single blunder in an otherwise solid game by Sharks netminder Martin Jones that proved to be the deciding factor in a 2-1 loss to the Blues on Sunday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Just shy of the midway point of the contest, a puck that wasn’t quite settled when the Blues’ Jori Lehtera slapped at it from a reasonably safe distance found some space under Jones’ arm as he tried to squeeze it shut.
It was the only goal in a period the Sharks, not Blues, dominated on the shot clock by a count of 16-5. That fact wasn't lost on Sharks coach Peter DeBoer, who singled out the period as a turning point, as Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out via Twitter.
Elliott, meanwhile, was nearly perfect.
Just "nearly" because he benefitted from a fairly quick whistle on a shot th ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Macfarlane
Brian Elliott Continues Playoff Redemption to Give Blues Game 1 Win vs. Sharks
May 15th, 2016 by Steve Macfarlane Leave a reply »
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