By Daniel Love, Featurd
It was deja-vu for a Sharks team that thought the worst was over. Despite controlling play for two of three periods, despite outshooting their opponents, despite a press in the final minutes that seemed destined to break through, the Sharks let a slow start dictate the finish as they fell 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.
The Sharks spent the first period struggling to get anything going. They couldn’t establish any presence in the offensive zone, they were mitigating their own scoring chances by hesitating, and a crushing forecheck from St.