STL VS SJSKen Hitchcock impressed with Blues' response against Sharks

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By Ray Ratto in St. Louis

Ken Hitchcock tried to define Game 2 of this Western Quarterfinal series as a test of his team's ability to be a playoff team. Not a team that gets into the playoffs, but one that survives, thrives and even exerts its will in the postseason.

And though the St. Louis Blues coach and his San Jose counterpart, Todd McLellan, will have differing and largely acidic viewpoints on whose employees violated the spirit and letter of the law more often, they did agree on that part.

In short, that San Jose had positioned itself to be the better team in the first period, but could not sustain it and as a result lost, 3-0.

"They gave us what a veteran team that knows how to win will do," Hitchcock said. "They gave it to us in the first period. They tested our will, big time, in the first period. We had no choice but to respond," he said. "They pushed us hard, they have that experience of being a veteran team and knowing what it's like at this time of year. They shoved us hard, and I liked the way we responded.

"We grew up to the level of what it takes to win against a team that knows how to do it. That part feels good. We have some more knowledge that we need to compete at this level at this time of year. There's a level out there. There's a tenacity. Teams like San Jose, Chicago, Detroit - they play right through you. And if you don't respond, you get pushed out the back door quick."

Both teams pushed, though, enough to pile up 132 minutes in penalties, 80 more than in the Ottawa-New York game that will likely get more attention for contentiousness. Of those 132 minutes, only six were of the nonviolent type, and 112 came after David Backes' clinching goal at 13:49 of the second period.

Backes scored after winger T.J. Oshie bull-rushed past Jason Demers, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski to find Backes alone to Antti Niemi's right, blind side. That made it 2-0, after a weird own-goal by Marc-Edouard Vlasic (credited to Vladimir Sobotka) had broken the scoring 91 seconds into the game.

But most of the tale of the tape came after the Backes goal, with the incendiary moment being T.J. Galiardi charging Andy McDonald and, according to the oft-concussed McDonald, cracking his helmet. From that moment on, as Hitchcock tried to dismiss it, "Boys will be boys."

And McLellan, who had less reason to be cheery, snapped when asked to talk about the game's events.

 "That depends on what you want to talk about; the instigation, the sucker punch, the blow to the head, the broken nose, all directed at Vladimir Sobotka, who hammered Dominic Moore," he said. "Between that, Roman Polak's beating of Justin Braun, and a second-period whipping of Pavelski by Kris Russell, the Blues' 'boys' did most of the 'being'."

In short, this wasn't about boys, but men who have discovered the central truth of real rivalries. They are created not by geography, but by circumstance, and the Blues and Sharks circumstanced the hell out of each other Saturday night. Monday, San Jose will clearly respond, because the back door in question will be in their building.

Ray Ratto reports for CSNBayArea.com. Follow him on Twitter @RattoCSN

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