San Jose Sharks Advance to Stanley Cup Final for First Time
By Ryan Ritchie
San Jose Sharks Advance to Stanley Cup Final for 1st Time Since Their Inception in 1991, 25 Years Ago
San Jose Sharks defeated the St.Louis Blues 5-2 in Game Six of the NHL Western Conference Final on Wednesday night. With the win, San Jose moves on to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history.
The Sharks will await the winner of the NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ll square off on Thursday night for a winner take all game seven at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
If the Lightning advance, San Jose Sharks would have home ice advantage in the series. However, if Pittsburgh wins, the Pens would receive it.
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Captain Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, and Joonas Donskoi each scored a goal in the win Wednesday night, while Mr.Postseason (Joel Ward) netted a pair. Martin Jones only had to stop 23 of 25 shots to earn the victory which eliminated the Blues.
“It’s unbelievable,” San Jose forward Joe Thornton told NBCSN. “Especially to do it here at home. These guys have been waiting 25 years for this, and obviously I’ve been waiting a long time too. It’s pretty sweet.” – via NHL.com
“We know it’s just another step, but it being the first time, it’s been a long time, but we’re enjoying the ride here,” Sharks forward Patrick Marleau told NBCSN. “We’ve got one more step to go.” – via NHL.com
Even the smallest NHL markets have a fan base, and the San Jose Sharks are no different. For those diehard hockey fans in the Bay Area, this is well deserved. The Sharks have continually disappointed over the past decade never managing to get over the hump, but finally the opportunity has come to compete for Lord Stanley.
For veterans such as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, this is a chance to redeem themselves for the many years of failure – in a lot of ways they already have given the way this team has stepped up its intensity in 2016.
via NHL.com,
The Sharks split the season series with the Lightning. They lost to Tampa Bay 4-3 on Dec. 5 at SAP Center and won 4-2 on Feb. 16 at Amalie Arena. San Jose forward Joel Ward had two goals and an assist; Thornton and forward Tomas Hertl each had two assists; and Burns, Pavelski and forward Matt Nieto each had a goal and an assist. Jones made 28 saves in the 4-2 win.
Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov scored two goals, and forward J.T. Brown led Tampa Bay with three assists. Goalie Ben Bishop was 1-1-0, making 51 saves on 57 shots.
San Jose split the season series with Pittsburgh. It defeated the Penguins 3-1 at Consol Energy Center on Nov 21. Burns scored two goals, defenseman Paul Martin had a goal and an assist, and Marleau had two assists. Jones made 38 saves. The Sharks lost to the Penguins 5-1 on Dec. 1 at SAP Center with Marleau scoring.
Penguins forward Phil Kessel scored in the 3-1 loss. Kessel had two goals, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 33 saves in the 5-1 win.
San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in scoring with 24 points. Captain Joe Pavelski leads the postseason in goals with 13, and 2nd in scoring with 22 points. Defenseman Brent Burns leads all defensemen in points, and 3rd in league scoring with 20 points.
Joe Thornton ranks tied for 6th with 18 points, Patrick Marleau is tied for 23rd with 12 points, while Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joel Ward are tied for 27th with 11 points.
Goaltender Martin Jones is 12-6 with three shutouts, a 2.12GAA and .919 save percentage.
Realistically, the San Jose Sharks have upwards of four Conn Smythe candidates heading into the Cup Final.
Netminder Martin Jones is the difference maker the Sharks have been missing between the pipes. Logan Couture has stepped up providing top-tier offense after battling injuries early in the regular season. Captain Joe Pavelski has stepped up in year one with the “C” on his jersey and has done everything you can ask of a leader, both on and off the ice.
Even veteran Joe Thornton seemed to hit a fountain of youth in 2015-16 finishing the regular season as one the NHL’s premier two-way centers. Instead of disappearing in April, Jumbo Joe raised his level of intensity, and that’s been a real significant factor in the San Jose Sharks success.
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Game one of the Stanley Cup Final is scheduled to take place on Monday, May 30th. If Tampa Bay wins on Thursday, San Jose will host the lightning at the SAP Center. Should Pittsburgh win, the Sharks will travel to the Consol Energy Center for the series opener.