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The Playoff Buzzer: Sharks double up Blues through Meier, Couture

St Louis Blues v San Jose Sharks - Game One

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MAY 11: Kevin Labanc #62 of the San Jose Sharks celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal on Jordan Binnington #50 of the St. Louis Blues during the second period in Game One of the Western Conference Finals during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on May 11, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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  • The Sharks took Game 1 of the Western Conference Final after Timo Meier and Logan Couture each scored a brace to guide San Jose to a 6-3 win.

Sharks 6, Blues 3 (SJS leads 1-0)

Timo Meier scored twice and added an assist. Logan Couture scored twice and added and assist. Martin Jones made 28 saves. The result? A convincing 6-3 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final.

The Sharks did it all in the game, creating several turnovers that led to goals and taking advantage of other opportunities as they presented themselves. Couture opened the scoring in the first and closed it in the third while Meier scored back-to-back goals in the second period to propel San Jose to a win.
[NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Three stars

1. Timo Meier, San Jose Sharks

The play he made once the puck was on his stick off a turnover was sublime. He caught Jay Bouwmeester standing still and froze Jordan Binnington with the old one-handed backhand trick. Meier’s night would end with a two-goal, one-assist stat line, his fourth and fifth goals of the playoffs.

2. Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

Couture the Killer scored just 3:31 into the game as Gustav Nyquist dished the puck on an odd-man rush to an open No. 39 for his ninth of the postseason. Couture would add an empty netter in the third end with the same stat line as teammate Meier. Couture has been special in these playoffs, setting the tone for his team, among other things.

3. Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks

It’s hard to believe there won’t be a round (or even a game) where people don’t doubt Jones’ goaltending abilities. His putrid regular-season numbers justify the uneasy feelings some have -- as do the early games in Round 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. But Jones has been solid since, and he stopped 28 of 31 in Game 1 of the WCF to quell the doubters once again. Jones was tested just seconds into the game when Alex Steen tried to muscle a backhand shot past him. Jones was able to swat out his blocker to make the save and settled in from there.

Factoids

SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE
Game 2: Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins, 3 p.m. ET (NBC; Live stream)

MORE:
Conference Finals schedule, TV info
PHT Conference Finals predictions
Conference Finals roundtable


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck