ST. LOUIS – A third period lead this deep in the NHL playoffs might as well be kryptonite to the team that doesn’t possess it.
Entering Game 5 of the Sharks-Blues series, the four teams remaining clubs that held an advantage after two periods were a combined 25-1, including a 13-0 combined record for San Jose and St. Louis.
So while Joe Pavelski’s latest insane redirection put the Sharks ahead 4-3 early in the third, held up as the game-winner and was the biggest highlight of the night, it was the captain’s late score in the second that really set the table for San Jose to skate its way to a 6-3 victory.