Pucks were being batted out of the air, injured stars were scoring, both Joes were at the top of their game and leadership is yelling at your coach, apparently.
Here are three things we learned in the NHL Monday.
Brouwer forward
When St. Louis Blues forward Troy Brouwer slammed his stick in frustration earlier in this series, he initially looked upset. Now it appears he was simply telling us all, “IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I BREAK OUT!”
After scoring two goals in Game 4 to help the Blues even the series 2-2, Brouwer netted another Monday after going scoreless in Games 1-3. But what we learned this night is that he’s known for his…honesty.
Who yells at Ken Hitchcock? Well, Jake Allen does, if you remember.
Here’s Brouwer’s goal from Monday, a baseball swing to rival some St. Louis Cardinals.
Off the floor and on the board
Blues forwards Robby Fabbri and David Backes were game-time decisions prior to Game 5 but did indeed skate for St. Louis.
Did they ever.
Both were a menace on the ice Monday, with Backes throwing six hits and assisting on a goal while Fabbri buzzed around all night adding a goal to his team-leading 15 points.
Backes missed the final two periods of Game 4 while Fabbri skated for just two shifts in the third.
Fabbri has been indispensable for the Blues this post-season while Backes is a pending UFA. We know one of these players will have a bright future with this club — will both?
Jumbo Joe Pavelski
While Joe Thornton‘s greatness has been getting plenty of attention during these playoffs, San Jose Sharks captain v. 3.0 Joe Pavelski never ceases to impress.
With two goals Monday, including a brilliant deflection early in the third period, Pavelski took over the scoring lead in the NHL’s post-season. His 12 goals are one better than Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov and four better than Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel.
He needed just two shots to pot two goals Monday. He also added an assist. Those three points put him in a tie for most points in the playoffs with teammate Logan Couture who notched an assist in Game 5. Thornton, meanwhile, assisted on three goals himself.
How ’bout a shoutout from a Hall of Famer?
Pavelski’s heroics are a big reason why the Sharks are just one win away from the Stanley Cup Final, the closest they’ve ever been.
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