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SAN JOSE – Shortly after the Blues and Sharks left the SAP Center after the first game of the Western Conference final on Saturday night, a small army of workers appeared.
Stars on Ice arrived in San Jose on Sunday.
The Blues need their best talent for a reminder on Monday.
Vladimir Tarasenko, a face-to-the-franchise, reached a new record in the defeat against the Blues 6-3 in the playoffs. Craig Berube, his under-3 coach, left a big difference between defending and scoring his top scorer.
Suddenly, everyone seems to remember the success with which San Jose, specifically defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic, had bottled Tarasenko during the finals of the 2016 West Conference. Tarasenko, who has not spoken to the media since the beginning of the series, is certainly furious.
But can he do something about it?
It's hard to imagine the Blues defeating the Sharks if he does not. And honestly, it's impressive, the Blues came as far as they did without more production from one of the game's top scorers. Tarasenko, who has scored only 182 goals since start of the 2014-15 season, Alex Ovechkin (236) and John Tavares (183), only scored one in his last seven games in the playoffs, and not once in the last four.
Spoiler Alert: This is not how your team wins its first Stanley Cup.
Prior to the playoffs, Tarasenko averaged one goal every two playoff games. This time, this average is approaching one goal every three playoff games. Only one of Tarasenko's five goals in the playoffs is comparable. They all have the same meaning, of course, but it's a tell-tale sign.
So are the following numbers.
Saturday marked the first time in 21 games that Tarasenko had managed only one shot on goal. He arrived so late in the unbalanced defeat that the Blues had already removed goalkeeper Jordan Binnington.
Yes, Tarasenko got help on Saturday. Good news.
The bad? It was his first assist of this playoff series, which now has 14 long matches for the Blues.
Tarasenko's under-3 on Saturday, despite his help, has brought his plus-minus in the playoffs to -8. This is the lowest – of three points – of all blues players. And get this. This is the worst plus-minus of all NHL playoff players.
"Vladi has been great," Pat Maroon told the hotel lobby on Sunday morning.
Give Maroon a point for defending his teammate. But the truth is that Maroon's line, the third of the Blues, broke Tarasenko's record in the playoffs. Bérubé's comments on Sunday morning could be interpreted as a respectful but direct challenge to his team's $ 60 million man. When the cameras are on, we trust Tarasenko. When they go out, people wonder what's going on.
After Bérubé crashed for the first time before a question about whether Tarasenko had returned from his unfortunate match 1, the interim coach (for now) offered candid answers to his star suddenly. silent. Berube is allergic to spin, and he knows that Saturday's version of Tarasenko, a fleet often floating, is not up to the Sharks.
Bérubé explained how far Tarasenko has to work further from the puck to create scoring opportunities. He can not wait for good things to happen, said the coach. And yes, Bérubé specifically stated that Tarasenko had to score for the Blues to be at its best.
So, please, introduce the discussion on the full Tarasenko game for the moment. He is an elite scorer who does not score in big games. And his two-way play on Saturday was a weakness, not a strength. The best example came when Tarasenko was caught off guard and watching a turn-over of Colton Parayko quickly turn into a Timo Meier goal.
Be aware that San Jose has once again developed a good plan that goes beyond simply sending Vlasic. Similar to their defeat against the Blues in 2016, the Sharks spy Tarasenko and repress him with a double team as soon as possible.
San Jose treats Tarasenko as a game changer.
His challenge is to answer as one.
"We certainly need him to act more offensively and that he creates more opportunities in scoring," admitted Bérubé before expanding the scope for action. Set of the team.
Tarasenko's hollows are always a delicate subject, especially in the playoffs, and especially against this opponent. It was in this match three years ago that San Jose prevented him from scoring a point in five games.
Tarasenko scored his two goals of the series in the second half of the third period of the sixth game, after the Blues lost 4-0 in the end-of-season loss. Tarasenko, frustrated, then left the cloakroom cleaning day without speaking in the final phase of the conference. He then came back to speak at a press conference organized specifically for this reason.
It's not about what Tarasenko says or does not say.
That's what the Blues star does or does not do.
The answer could be the difference between the fact that the Blues exorcise old demons or experience one already frightening.
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