Morning Player Notes in the Playoffs (May 23)

The magical run, that was the win streak from Jake Allen starts, ended at one, which didn't make for much of a streak for the St. Louis Blues, but the goalie change didn't push their side to a Game 5 win, rather it was very much the opposite.

The San Jose Sharks were not going to buy into any momentum of the Blues' goalie change, rather their response to the Blues winning in their building was taking the swing game in St. Louis and doing so by a fair margin.

The two teams traded blows through two periods, the game being tied 3-3 after the middle frame and this one was waiting for one team to own this game and make it their own.  If you blinked at the start of the 3rd period, you may have missed the moment, with Joe Pavelski scoring his second goal of the game, 16 seconds in, and the Sharks finally had the grasp they were looking for.  The 4-3 goal shifted the momentum for good, as the Sharks wouldn't let go and the Blues couldn't quite break through and it wasn't until the time with an empty net that anything really changed, as the Sharks potted a couple free ones and won the game, 6-3.

Pavelski was the big hero, scoring a pair of goals, including the eventual winner, and added an assist for a 4-point game.  He was supported by Joe Thornton, who had 3 assists, and then Joel Ward, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Martin Jones, who all stepped away with 2 points each in the pool.  The Blues' best players didn't have an answer for this flood of scoring and that may have been their downfall in the end.

This series will now shift back to the tank for Game 6, which will go on Wednesday night, a 7pm MT start for those watching.  The Blues will need something big, if they are going to force a Game 7.