Western Showdown

St. Louis vs San Jose

 

The Sharks - how did they get here?

First Round - 5 games over Los Angeles
History can be a driving force in the way I look at things, and this was certainly the case with this series. I believed in both teams but just leaned on the Kings' past and what their core is made of. But the losses to their defense has been too much for them - primarily that Slava Voynov domestic debacle weaked the blueline and Muzzin and Martinez haven't filled that hole. San Jose looked so good here and I though going in, if they get past the Kings, they can win the whole thing. They have it all - forward skill. Forward finishers. Defensive threat in Burns. And with Ward and Couture, they have the toughness (I've been saying this since they got Couture a few years ago - but don't underestimate the impact of a guy like Joel Ward). In this series, everything showed up.

Second Round - 7 games over Nashville

For all the confidence I gained for the Sharks in round one, I lost as much in round two. They came out dominant early in the series and looked to blow the Preds out. But they failed to go in for the kill. I was disappointed - Nashville is good but not great. Forward depth (especially with an ineffective Filip Forsberg) isn't great. The defense is thin after Josi and Weber. And Rinne is exposed - if he has to move a lot laterally he gets destroyed. Anyway, the Sharks let this well-coached Predator team back in. What should have been a 5 game series went seven. That said, they were clicking in that final game.

The Blues - how did they get here?

First Round - 7 games over Chicago
This was what the San Jose - LA series was supposed to be. Having watched the Blues this season, I believed this was the year for them. They didn't let me down in round one. It was a great series - the defending champs didn't lay over - their high-end skill allowed for quick strikes and kept them in games where St. Louis controlled flow. St. Louis won on depth - both ends of the ice and skill and toughness and speed. This team proved they can muscle through playing that Hitchcock system rolling four lines.

Second Round - 7 games over Dallas

Not as disappointing as the Sharks' 2nd round, but St. Louis didn't show a killer instinct here as well. Most of the series, in every game, the Sharks had no answers for St. Louis' depth. The reason the Stars were even in the playoffs and in the series is because of the top-level offensive talent. Dallas' defensive holes (forwards and d depth) was obvious, yet the Stars were able to stretch it to a seventh game. That game was decisive, however, and the Blues' team just never slowed down. A lot is blamed on Dallas' goaltending - well, Dallas, go out and grab Lundqvist, if you can; make no other adjustments and end up in a similar spot next year. You have no defensive forward line and your mobile d-men are a liability with some solid defensive-minded guys to help them out.

After the two rounds, I don't know where to lean. Both the Sharks and the Blues have shown dominance. The Blues run a deeper team with no holes on defense. The Sharks have a better finishing team. Can the Sharks counter the third and fourth lines of the Blues? Can the Blues keep Pavelski and Couture and Burns in check without opening up to Marleau and Thornton?

It should go 7. I'll say Blues, but I may change that after tonight.