While the Sharks made some mistakes throughout Game 5, they were able to make amends when it mattered most.
The San Jose Sharks were not flawless last night. But they responded at key moments when their best was needed, and now, team teal is the furthest they’ve ever been in franchise history.
San Jose made some critical miscues at important junctures of the game, but their teammates were there to pick them up.
The result: a resounding 6-3 win that looked awfully reminiscent of their Game 5 victory over the Kings in round one.
The Sharks found themselves tied up at three in both games after 40 minutes, and came out and shut down the opposition. It didn’t matter how they got to that point, they just went right to work and got it done. San Jose produced early goals in the final frame and were able to limit any kind of offensive attacks from their opposition.
It’s the kind of response that championship teams make, especially when there were some valleys in both contests that previous Sharks teams might not have come back from.
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Take for example Martin Jones who was off from the get go in Game 5. Jones has been great for San Jose throughout these playoffs, but needed his teammates to help him get through this one.
The first two goals were both rebound opportunities where Jones was caught off guard or out of position and the Sharks got burnt.
But team teal didn’t let that affect them as Joel Ward was able to tie it up at two as they got their power play clicking once again.
Then, another mistake came shortly after that tying goal when Roman Polak absolutely lost his mind in a penalty that simply can’t happen at this time of year.
Of course, when you take a bone-headed penalty, it often ends up in the back of your net and that’s what happened when Robby Fabbri blasted one through Jones to give the Blues the lead right back.
Again, another shot that Jones should have had, but that didn’t matter to this group.
San Jose got a chance late in the second to pick up both their teammates, and they took it. The two Joes combined to knot things up at three heading into the final frame in what proved to be a huge boost for team teal.
Heading into the third, it took only 16 seconds for Joe Pavelski to do what he does: lead and score big goals. He beautifully tipped home a shot from Brent Burns at the point to stun the home team and their crowd.
From that point on, the Sharks limited the Blues to only seven shots on goal the rest of the way as they killed off the game in fine fashion. Jones bounced back and was there when called upon, including a big save on Patrik Berglund in front with less than five minutes remaining.
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Now, the Sharks are one win away from going where no previous group in franchise history has ever gone. They’re in this position because of their poise and ability to persevere when things get tough.
It will only get tougher tomorrow night as team teal looks to close out the Blues, but this San Jose team knows they’ve got a special group that is willing and able to respond.