Defeating the Blues 5-2 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, the Sharks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The St. Louis Blues attempted a third period comeback, with Vladimir Tarasenko scoring two goals minutes apart, but the San Jose Sharks proved to be the most dominant team.
At the start of the first period, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski put the puck in the net for San Jose, once again fulfilling the series pattern that the winning team scores the first goal. Rightwing Joel Ward added two Sharks goal, one coming in the second period and another in the third. The final period actually contained the most action from both teams, with Joonas Donksoi and Logan Couture adding two more goals for San Jose in the third period and Vladimir Tarasenko getting back-to-back goals for the Blues.
In his first season as a starter, Sharks goaltender Martin Jones earned two consecutive shutouts and made 24 saves out of 26 shots on goal in Game 6 for a .923 save percentage.
The Sharks’ historic first Western Conference Finals victory resulted in Twitter responses based in years of anticipation and disappointment. Blues fans also took to Twitter to express their frustrations with the team. Here are some of the most memorable Tweets following Game 6:
The Sharks make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals beginning Monday, May 30. More information will be released following Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, May 26. The game will be aired on NBC Sports Network at 8:00 PM ET.
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