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St. Louis Looks to Advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, IIHF World Championship Action, and More

May 17, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) congratulates center Tyler Bozak (21) after he scored during the first period in game four of the Western Conference Final of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the San Jose Sharks at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Blues can advance to the Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday night with a win over the injury-plagued San Jose Sharks. St. Louis is up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals, and the Blues are looking to make it to the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years. Earning a trip to the finals at home would be especially glorious given the franchise’s hard luck over the last five decades.

The St. Louis Blues are favorites to win tonight, but they have not performed well at home this postseason. They are 4-5 on home ice, so San Jose has to feel good about its chances in a must-win even though the Sharks are likely to be without three of their best players.

Canada hasn’t had a Stanley Cup winner since the Montreal Canadiens lifted the greatest trophy in all of professional sports in 1993, but at least one Canadian province is rooting for a tangential title. The St. Louis Blues have three players that hail from Saskatchewan in Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn, and Tyler Bozak, and the province is hoping to see those three bring the cup to the prairie province.

Despite being the two weakest teams for much of the Group Stage, Italy and Great Britain won their last games to avoid relegation and earn a spot at the 2020 IIHF World Championship. Italy and Great Britain were terrible for much of this year’s Worlds, and the Italians came into the last game with a -44 goal differential, while Great Britain had a -31 goal differential. Neither side had even earned a point prior to the last game, but Italy beat Austria in a shootout to send the Austrians to relegation, while Great Britain scored in overtime to best France and send the French down a division.

Carolina Hurricanes’ captain Justin Williams was great for the first two rounds of the playoffs, but he continually let himself get baited by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals and he committed several penalties in a Bruins sweep. Williams is now considering returning to the Hurricanes rather than retiring after 18 seasons in the NHL.

Top Stories

  • Sharks at Blues Game Six Preview: Can the Blues punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final tonight? | SB Nation
  • St. Louis Blues become ‘Saskatchewan’s team’ as Stanley Cup Final approaches | CBC
  • Great Britain, Italy win to avoid relegation | ESPN
  • Williams leaves door open to return to ‘Canes | TSN

Written by Jonathan Willis

Jonathan Willis has written on virtually every sport imaginable over the last decade. His specialties are college football, eSports, politics, the NFL and the NHL. He is always looking for soft markets to pounce on, and he will have you in the black by the end of the year.

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