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The 6th suspense History will have to choose between Sharks, Blues
Posted: Saturday April 22, 2000 08:26 PM
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- St. Louis and San Jose each has history on its side as the Blues and Sharks head into Game 6 of their playoff series Sunday with St. Louis still on the brink of elimination. The Blues, who squandered a three-goal lead before winning Friday night to pull within 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, rallied from a 3-1 deficit to oust the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round last season. St. Louis is trying to become the 16th team in NHL history to win after trailing 3-1 in a series. And the Blues are trying to avoid becoming the first team since the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks to post the NHL's best regular-season record and then get ousted in the first round of the playoffs. "We tried to get some momentum back on our side," said Blues defenseman Al MacInnis, who scored his first goal of the series in St. Louis' 5-3 victory at home Friday night. "Down three to one against Phoenix last year, we won Game 5, and we felt we had the momentum going into Game 6. I think we'll have that going into the Shark Tank." The Sharks, on the other hand, know they're capable of pulling off an upset of a No. 1 seed. San Jose remains one win from duplicating its 1994 ouster of top-ranked Detroit in a first-round series. If the Sharks lose Sunday, they'll still have another chance to eliminate the Blues on Tuesday night in St. Louis. "They're the ones that have all the pressure. If they don't win, they're out," said San Jose's Owen Nolan, who scored four times in the opening four games of the series. The Sharks won Games 3 and 4 at home against the Blues, but know St. Louis was the best road team in the NHL this season. "We're going home 3-2 and we're holding our heads high," defenseman Jeff Norton said. "But that doesn't mean much until we can win that fourth game." For the fourth straight game, the Blues and Sharks were tied entering the third period Friday night. For the first time, St. Louis prevailed - finally matching the third-period success it had throughout the regular season. "We hadn't won a game all series when we were tied going into the third period, so it was the time to do it," Blues defenseman Dave Ellett said. "It was our forte all year -- games that were tied going into the third where we just went out and took charge of the hockey game." If the Sharks win Sunday, they will be able to do something for the first time in San Jose -- celebrate a series victory in front of their fans. The two previous series they have won, against Detroit in 1994 and Calgary in 1995, both were wrapped up on the road.
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