from Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

The Sharks’ list of luck includes a five-minute major penalty in the first round that should not have punished Las Vegas so severely. Joe Pavelski, the player injured by the hit, said so himself. The power play that followed defined that series. Then came the successful offside challenge that nixed Colorado’s game-tying goal in Game 7 of the second round, a reversal that still has Avalanche fans studying film beneath tinfoil hats. Both took a backseat to the blatant Timo Meier hand pass officials missed on the Sharks’ game-winning overtime goal against the Blues in Game 3.

If that’s not a tailwind of good luck, what is?

“It irks me when you use words like that,” DeBoer told a reporter who dared to use the L-word after the Sharks won Game 3.

DeBoer could have simply said all champions catch some breaks along the way. Instead he revealed an exposed nerve. More have been popping up ever since.

While it would be fun to suggest the Sharks’ denial of their gifts resulted in luck’s rejection, that would eliminate the Blues’ role in this reversal.

The Sharks didn’t lose their luck.

The Blues have simply smothered it. With a smile.

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