After an exciting first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs out west, we were in for another treat in the Western Conference Semifinals, with both games going the distance. Neither game seven was exactly a nail-biter, but each series featured a hefty amount of momentum shifts, and in the end two cup-less teams will be playing for the chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Let’s take a look back at what we saw on the second leg of the journey to the cup.
Dallas Stars (C1) vs St. Louis Blues (C2) – STL wins 4-3
For the first time since 2001, the St. Louis Blues are headed to the Western Conference Final, blowing out the Stars 6-1 in a do or die game seven to stun a crowd of over 18,000 in “victory” green at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The Blues will open up game one at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Sunday, while the Stars will have to answer many questions as to how their best season in 13 years ended far too soon.
Why St. Louis won
A. Brian Elliot remained unshaken – In a similar narrative to round one, Elliot had an abysmal game six performance (allowed three goals on seven shots) only to be followed up by a stellar game seven victory, this time only allowing a single goal in the third period after shutting out Dallas in the first 40 minutes. The lopsided score of 6-1 was even more remarkable considering Dallas put 32 shots on goal while St. Louis had only a mere 19 (St Louis scored on 31 percent of their shots). Take away St. Louis’s offensive domination though, stopping 31 shots in a game will more often than not single-handedly lead a team to victory. Elliot’s ability to rebound from such bad performances in pressure situations in both series is as testament to how much his confidence has grown after previous playoff failures, and the momentum he now has will be a challenge for any opponent going forward.
B. Offensive production across the board – David Backes had four goals the series. Vladimir Tarasenko, Paul Stastny and Patrick Berglund all had three each. In the end, St. Louis tallied 25 goals over seven games, scoring six goals in two instances. When an offense has found its groove as much as St. Louis did in this series, it can prove to be an unstoppable force. Even Dallas, the highest scoring team in the league this season, couldn’t overcome it. Game. Set. Match.
C. Special Teams – St. Louis recorded six power play goals on 21 opportunities, while killing off 18 of their 20 penalties in the series. When you can limit the opponent’s power play as well as St. Louis did, especially against a feared offense such as Dallas’s, the cards are generally in your favor.
Why Dallas is out
A. Goalie woes –The game one Kari Lethonen, who only allowed one goal on 32 shots, was never to be found again in this series. Lethonen would allow three goals in the first period of games two and seven, only to be replaced by Antti Niemi in each of those periods. Niemi was not much better himself, getting pulled himself in game three after Dallas suffered an early 3-0 deficit en route to a 6-1 blowout loss. Game seven would be nearly identical in the sequence of events, only that it was Lethonen getting replaced by Niemi after a 3-0 first period deficit. In total Dallas, allowed 24 goals over the final six games. Allowing an average of four goals a game just won’t cut it, even if you are the highest scoring team in the league.
B. Couldn’t win at home – After a narrow 2-1 game one victory, Dallas would drop game two at home in overtime by a score of 4-3 before dropping game five 4-1 and game seven 6-1. At the end of the series, the Stars were outscored 15-7 at home, 10-2 in the final 120 minutes played at the AAC. That’s not to mention that all three of their wins were decided by one goal, while three of the Blues’ four wins were decided by at least three goals. Should I also mention that Tony Romo was in attendance in a suite at game seven?
C. The highest scoring offense in the league that wasn’t – Dallas finished the regular season as the highest scoring squad in the NHL, but you would never guess that if you watched this series. Dallas was held to less than three goals in three of the contests in throughout the series, only topping the three goal mark once in game four (which required overtime). Also notable was that Dallas was held to only one goal over the final five periods of the series. Maybe Tyler Seguin’s absence was to blame, but it was the wrong time for Dallas to go cold in the scoring department, and it cost them.
San Jose Sharks (W3) vs Nashville Predators (WC1) – SJS wins 4-3
For the first time since 2011, the Sharks are headed back to the Western Conference Final with a chance to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. For the Predators, they will have to wait yet another year in their hopes to advance past the second round for the first time ever.
Why San Jose won
A. Home Ice – Home ice advantage (which the Sharks had) was the difference maker in this series, as the home team won every contest. It allowed San Jose to jump out to a 2-0 lead right out of the gate, eventually using the same momentum from the crowd to cruise to a 5-0 blowout win in game seven at the SAP Center. In total, San Jose outscored Nashville 18-5 in the Silicon Valley. Chomp, chomp. chomp.
B. Learned from their past – The last two playoff appearances for the Sharks in 2013 and 2014 culminated with game seven losses to Los Angeles, first in LA and then in San Jose after the unthinkable happened when the Sharks blew a 3-0 first round lead. The Sharks would have none of that this time around, scoring quickly to get the crowd going and never looking backwards. It was all San Jose from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer, and it ultimately propelled them to a meeting with St. Louis that will begin this weekend in the Gateway City.
C. Logan Couture was sensational – The 26 year old had six goals in seven games. He also set a San Jose series record of 11 points. Couture stole the show, and we should applaud his historic effort that led the Sharks to victory.
Why Nashville is out
A. Too much time in the box – Nashville recorded 21 penalties in the series, and the Sharks scored on eight of those opportunities. The Predators lack of discipline was more apparent than ever in their 5-0 game seven loss, surrendering two power play goals as a result of several untimely and unforced penalties that were purely the result of anger and frustration. In game seven, composure is everything, and Nashville’s low amount of experience in such situations caught up to them.
B. Pekka Rinne went south – Rinne was not the playoff goalie that we saw in round one. The only occasion in which he didn’t allow three goals was in in Nashville’s 4-1 game three victory, and the results could have been much worse had Nashville not been bailed out in overtime in games four and six. Coming off a series in which he allowed only two goals in the closing two contests, it was an unexpected change for someone who proved that he could single-handedly win games for his squad, and his frustration culminated with this moment in game seven:
C. Playing from behind – Nashville trailed in every game this series, including all three of their victories. Only in game one did they score first, and that contest eventually got out of hand with San Jose winning it 5-2. They also never held a series lead, coming back down from 2-0 to tie it and then again from 3-2 to force a game seven. Maybe it was the jet-lag that Nashville faced in this series, traveling more than 17,000 miles between their two playoff series against California teams. Nonetheless, playing the catch-up game is never a good formula for success, and the bubble eventually burst for the Predators in this series, much like it did for their first round opponent Anaheim Ducks.
What’s next – Two of the most playoff challenged teams in recent history, the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks, will meet in the Western Conference Final, with game one set to take place in St. Louis this Sunday. No matter who prevails, the trip to the Final will be incredibly gratifying for the winner, as St. Louis has not reached the final since 1970, while the Sharks have never made a Final appearance since their founding in 1991. San Jose won the regular season series between the two, 2-1.