Don’t come to Scottrade, or you’ll lose…. Or you’ll get your ass kicked… No wait, BOTH will happen. Tempers flared tonight, during game 2 of the first round of the playoffs between the St. Louis Blues, and the San Jose Sharks.

 

Hitchcock has said crazy things happen during the playoffs. Tonight, he was right. First, it was a goal by SobotkaVlasic, to put the Blues up 1-0 early in the first period. Then it was the rear-bench of the Blues, the one the coaches walk upon as they pace nervously hoping their plays come to fruition, which broke off; no-one was hurt. It was rusted through. The bench was later replaced with a new one after a temporary board was set for the time being. Halak was even replaced by Elliott from an injury by his own man in the second period.

Then sparks started to fly.

I’m not sure where to start. Was it all the hitting? Is it the playoff atmosphere? Is it the fact that San Jose and St. Louis just can’t seem to ever play nice? Whatever it is, it lit a fire under the players of the Blues, who came out swinging both their sticks, AND their fists tonight.

We had many blown head shot calls. We had several no-call penalties. Many hits were borderline. This is the playoffs. Where we separate the men from the boys, the winners from the losers, and the refs are blind to just about everything.

Back to  Halak. On a diving play in the second period, Barret Jackman is going full-force to stick to his opposition, and as he gets up, rams Halak backwards, hitting his head. Halak’s leg also was twisted weird on the play, but being the tough player he is, he left the ice on his own merits. Halak was supposed to make his way back to the bench, but never returned.

David Backes and TJ Oshie combined a spectacular play to put the Blues up 2-0 at 13:49 of the second period. Oshie rushes in along the far boards – between, through, under, and over at least 3 Sharks players to create a play, and David Backes was at the right place at the right time; Oshie passes to Backes who puts the puck behind Antii Niemi, practically on an empty net!

The third goal for the Blues came right at the end of the game, with a power play goal by Andy Mcdonald, who was assisted by Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo at 19:35. This will put the game completely out of reach for San Jose, tying the seies 1-1, and taking the fight to the HP Pavillion next week, starting Monday night.

Speaking of fights. After the game, everyone on the ice decided it was a good idea to get a good ol’-fashioned pile-up going. Sobotka and Polak nearly end the lives of the Sharks players they were fighting, pummeling them into the ice without stopping (loved EVERY minute of it). It’s about time the Blues stood up for all the head shots during the game. They received game misconducts. Jackman also received a fighting major and game misconduct as well. The Sharks’ players involved with the game misconducts and fighting majors include: Douglas Murray, Justin Braun, and Dominic Moore.

With all of the action of the ice, I’m sure this is a telling sign of how things will go out in San Jose. Blues win, 3-0! Way to shut-out the Sharks, while shutting them up at the same time!

Don’t MESS with the Blues!