GDT: WCF Game 5 | NOON!?!?! | vs STL | 12:00 PM PST | NBC KFOX

[Alwalys]

i'm still pretty pissed about how easily they gave 5 on 3s.

 

[Naki]

i'm still pretty pissed about how easily they gave 5 on 3s.

Considering how often you hear about how they don't want to give a team a 5 on 3 so they ignore the second penalty it was pretty pathetic.
But hey at least they didn't miss a hand pass. Right?

 

[bdave]

Sharks have played ONE more game than STL, and have 59 more hits.

Here's a hits per game comparison for the final 8 teams, plus VGK.
SJS - 31.1
STL - 29.5
CAR - 34.7
BOS - 30
CBJ - 37.4
COL - 29.7
DAL - 26.2
NYI - 41.3
VGK - 46.6

So yeah, hits are not the reason Sharks are losing.

Sharks have a problem of not following through on their hits. They gotta rock fools not the other way around. There is 0 excuses for being the more banged up team. This team is too soft and lacks killer instinct

 

[stator]

CRASH THE NET!!!

This, Sharks have done a horrible job at this. And when someone is at the net, it's usually one of the least capable Sharks like Haley or Melker.

I think it was Sheng Peng over at FtF that said this is the playoffs, someone has to do the skating.

 

[Nighthock]

Just finished watching (DVR)... pretty much what I expected from a noon game. Injuries didn't help.

I won't be watching a second of a STL/BOS final... SJ definitely isn't going. Not after the bullshit today... Losers gonna lose.

 

[Dicdonya]

Sharks have played ONE more game than STL, and have 59 more hits.

Here's a hits per game comparison for the final 8 teams, plus VGK.
SJS - 31.1
STL - 29.5
CAR - 34.7
BOS - 30
CBJ - 37.4
COL - 29.7
DAL - 26.2
NYI - 41.3
VGK - 46.6

So yeah, hits are not the reason Sharks are losing.

I’m not saying we’ve lost because of hits, but that doesn’t mean STL has not been more physical.

First off it’s well known hits are a subjective stat and awarding one can depend on who’s deciding if it qualifies as a hit. So the fact that per game we are slightly above STL does not mean we’ve actually hit more.

Second, when you are the one without the puck defending a bunch, you generally wind up hitting more. So us having more might be an indication of our lack of possession more so than our level of physicality.

Lastly, how many times have we seen STL players make checks well after the play, like the one I referenced earlier on Karlsson tonight behind his net seconds after he released the puck. I guarantee you that was not counted as a hit, but it certainly was a physical play, that the Sharks do not make, and the Blues have been all series because either the rules, or the refs, inexplicably don’t deem that shit to be illegal.

There is no question in my mind that STL has been more physical than us, and they won’t stop because they don’t get penalties for any of it. There’s a reason we have like 10 injured players, and it’s not because we’re hurting ourselves being more physical than other teams.

 

[Levie]

Go Boston. I hope the sweep.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

Sharks have played ONE more game than STL, and have 59 more hits.

Here's a hits per game comparison for the final 8 teams, plus VGK.
SJS - 31.1
STL - 29.5
CAR - 34.7
BOS - 30
CBJ - 37.4
COL - 29.7
DAL - 26.2
NYI - 41.3
VGK - 46.6

So yeah, hits are not the reason Sharks are losing.

Number of hits means little. It's been blatantly obvious that when a blue hits a shark it knocks them down or knocks them out of the play. The Sharks are hitting like a regular season team and have been for most of the 5 games. Kane, Burns and occasionally Dillon are the only ones hitting to hurt on the Sharks. It's not completely their fault. Guys like Banker, Couture, Donkey, Pavs just aren't built for the physical toll to play that game. Sharks are the more skilled team but the blues strategy is to eliminate them from the play and wear them down with big hits. No shit the Sharks had a higher number of hits today, they were chasing the puck all day with their one and done offense. The BS that some here try to promote that playing physical doesn't lead to wins in the playoffs has been proven wrong in nearly every post season of NHL hockey since the beginning of time. There is a reason you hear every color guy with actual post season experience talk about exacting a physical toll starting from game 1. It adds up.

 

[bdave]

I honestly hope STL wins the cup. With all the choking they've done it'll help me believe the Sharks will one day win it if they do.

 

[Doctor Soraluce]

I honestly hope STL wins the cup. With all the choking they've done it'll help me believe the Sharks will one day win it if they do.

f*** that. This series isn't over yet. If the blues do move on I hope they get rolled in 4.

 

[Jargon]

While I’m almost positive that @Alaskanice is for sure a serial killer because of his relentless optimism, I’ve gotta say I agree with him.

First of all, these playoffs were one of my favorite Sharks runs I’ve seen. The Pavelski Comeback was the best hockey game (or last two periods of one..) I’ve ever seen. The team has fought through adversity, has stood up for each other, fought for their captain — it’s been truly a joy to watch. I’ve watched plenty of Sharks teams fail miserably in the playoffs and been furious at the lack of effort. If we lose this series — which, to be clear, I think we absolutely will because 60% of our team is seriously injured — I will still be proud of our team.

Secondly, I’ve been on the fence about DeBoer but it’s also hard for me to blame him. The idea that teams are suddenly lazy or not trying in certain games (in the playoffs, specifically) is absurd. It only looks like that because the other team has adjusted. DeBoer adjusted on the go and it helped us beat Vegas and the Avalanche. Now, I think we don’t have the personnel and health to adjust to the Blues and that’s the main issue. We’re too broken, the refs won’t call headshots, it’s bullshit but I can’t fault DeBoer.

The doom and gloom is frustrating because I think it’s obvious to anyone with eyeballs that the Sharks have given it their all, literally bled (a LOT) for it, and a lot of fans still froth at the mouth demanding a rebuild and blahblahblah.

I want the Cup, of course, but you need luck to win and we’re running out of it (the refs made sure of that), so in lieu of that I’ll take one of the best playoff seasons in the Sharks history.

 

[Alwalys]

Aside from the finals this is as far as any other sharks team has gotten.

 

[PackShark]

I honestly hope STL wins the cup. With all the choking they've done it'll help me believe the Sharks will one day win it if they do.

F that. Don’t give up. Yeah today sucked, but we have two more games in this series.

 

[bdave]

F that. Don’t give up. Yeah today sucked, but we have two more games in this series.

How will we win with our star players getting knocked out of the game? Hate to say this but we are staring at another shut out in STL. The life is sucked out of this team.

 

[Jargon]

How will we win with our star players getting knocked out of the game? Hate to say this but we are staring at another shut out in STL. The life is sucked out of this team.

Couture, Joe Thornton, Jones and Burns could drag our asses through the game. That, or the depth guys save us. But I do think we’re just totally spent.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

They were down 3-1 to a better team than this. This isn't over.

That said, they have to cut out the self inflicted mistakes. St. Louis has hardly scored any goals in this series that weren't direct results of mistakes by the Sharks. Some of that is the Blues, but most of it isn't. They need to play a great road game and grind one out.

 

[Eid Ma Clack Shaw]

Ugly game all around. Series isn't over, but there's some tough sledding ahead. What the Sharks needed against Vegas to come back from a 3-1 deficit is the kind of stuff you may only see once a lifetime for a franchise.

Between fatigue and injuries, you can feel this is the end. Hoping for the best though.

There's no way Boston isn't winning the cup right? Rested and most of their top guys haven't played full seasons. I will be rooting for St. Louis to win if the Sharks lose, only because the Boston area does not need another sports championship and I'm a sucker for teams winning championships for the first time.

 

[JeremyTB]

Ugly game all around. Series isn't over, but there's some tough sledding ahead. What the Sharks needed against Vegas to come back from a 3-1 deficit is the kind of stuff you may only see once a lifetime for a franchise.

Between fatigue and injuries, you can feel this is the end. Hoping for the best though.

There's no way Boston isn't winning the cup right? Rested and most of their top guys haven't played full seasons. I will be rooting for St. Louis to win if the Sharks lose, only because the Boston area does not need another sports championship and I'm a sucker for teams winning championships for the first time.

I hate Boston but I am rooting for them if they face St Louis. 1st we had to watch the Caps get their 1st Stanley Cup and then the year after, St Louis. Screw that. St Louis fans may have suffered longer than we have but our team has been much better longer than they have, so Sharks deserve a Stanley Cup before they do.

 

[Ms Maggie]

I hate Boston but I am rooting for them if they face St Louis. 1st we had to watch the Caps get their 1st Stanley Cup and then the year after, St Louis. Screw that. St Louis fans may have suffered longer than we have but our team has been much better longer than they have, so Sharks deserve a Stanley Cup before they do.

Series isn't over. Fully expect Sharks to bounce back.

And nobody "deserves" the Cup.

 

[Naki]

Has the NHL announced that those headshots were clean hits yet? Have they issued an apology to St Louis for not calling a dive on Hertl and Pavelski?

 

[Nth Turtle Reborn]

I can't wrap my head around the logic if icing Karlsson, we had no issues sitting him reg season & our record was decent wasn't it? Putting him out there with such limited mobility?

 

[Nth Turtle Reborn]

That was a painful game to watch, both because of the attrition & watching the Sharks look positively helpless to get anything going after a fairly even looking 1st.

I watched to the bitter end, my empathy to all those in attendance, i can't imagine the frustration of the cost paid to see that performance.

 

[Used As A Shield]

That was not a fun game to watch in person. Barely any replays on jumbotron either to know wtf the calls against were either, made for a lot of "WTF is this garbage" for us in the stands. Sharks and Refs gave us nothing to cheer for.

 

[WSS11]

There’s a shocker

 

[Alaskanice]

While I’m almost positive that @Alaskanice is for sure a serial killer because of his relentless optimism, I’ve gotta say I agree with him.

First of all, these playoffs were one of my favorite Sharks runs I’ve seen. The Pavelski Comeback was the best hockey game (or last two periods of one..) I’ve ever seen. The team has fought through adversity, has stood up for each other, fought for their captain — it’s been truly a joy to watch. I’ve watched plenty of Sharks teams fail miserably in the playoffs and been furious at the lack of effort. If we lose this series — which, to be clear, I think we absolutely will because 60% of our team is seriously injured — I will still be proud of our team.

Secondly, I’ve been on the fence about DeBoer but it’s also hard for me to blame him. The idea that teams are suddenly lazy or not trying in certain games (in the playoffs, specifically) is absurd. It only looks like that because the other team has adjusted. DeBoer adjusted on the go and it helped us beat Vegas and the Avalanche. Now, I think we don’t have the personnel and health to adjust to the Blues and that’s the main issue. We’re too broken, the refs won’t call headshots, it’s bull**** but I can’t fault DeBoer.

The doom and gloom is frustrating because I think it’s obvious to anyone with eyeballs that the Sharks have given it their all, literally bled (a LOT) for it, and a lot of fans still froth at the mouth demanding a rebuild and blahblahblah.

I want the Cup, of course, but you need luck to win and we’re running out of it (the refs made sure of that), so in lieu of that I’ll take one of the best playoff seasons in the Sharks history.

I am NOT a serial killer. Stop saying that.