from Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News,
So while the Sharks showed their mettle by coming back from a three-games-to-one deficit against the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, and gutted out a Game 7 win over the Colorado Avalanche in the second, the headwinds they’re facing right now are unlike any they’ve had to deal with so far in the playoffs.
They feel much, much stronger.
“For sure we’ve been here before and had to go and win on the road in Vegas in order to get to a Game 7,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “You’re never comfortable when your backs against the wall like that, but we have been here before and found a way. I’m confident we can do that again.”
Count Erik Karlsson, Tomas Hertl and Joe Pavelski as being among the walking wounded for the Sharks. Their availability for Tuesday’s Game 6 has to be considered in question.
While Karlsson’s injury issues are nothing new, Hertl was injured in the first period after a high hit by Ivan Barbashev. He played only about five minutes after that. Pavelski caught an elbow to the head from Alex Pietrangelo early in the third period, and did not return.
“We’re still alive,” Sharks center Logan Couture said. “We’ve been in this spot before, going to Vegas down 3-2 in a very difficult building. St. Louis is similar, it’s a tough building against a good team. A structured team. We scored one goal in the last two games, that’s not going to cut it. We’re not doing enough around their net or creating enough opportunities on second chances.”
Below, watch a short GIF of the high hit on Hertl.
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.