Sharks Eliminated, Four Series Move to 3-2

The St. Louis Blues dispatched of the San Jose Sharks last night in just five games. On the brink of elimination, Joe Thornton scored with under a minute left in the second period, putting the Sharks ahead 1-0. Mid-way through the third the Blues broke through, scoring two goals within a minute to take the lead for good. An empty-netter sealed the deal and the Blues have joined the Nashville Predators in the next round of the playoffs.

Still scoreless in the second period, there was a scrum around the Sharks' net. Chris Stewart was tangled with Andrew Desjardins when Tommy Wingels came in and dropped the gloves with Stewart. The fight was almost all Stewart, landing plenty of rights on Wingels until Wingels dropped to a knee and the linesmen broke it up. The size difference looked much greater than the listed height difference of two inches.

Coyotes lose Torres, game

Raffi Torres was suspended for a hefty 25 games for his hit on Marian Hossa. NHL SVP of Player Safety and Hockey Operations Brendan Shanahan said, “This is a violation of three NHL rules – interference, charging and illegal check to the head.” You can watch Shanahan's full explanation after the jump.

The Phoenix Coyotes, sans Torres, went into last night leading the series over the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. The franchise that has never made it into the second round in Phoenix took the lead in the second period, but the Blackhawks tied it mid-way through the third and then took the game just a few minutes into overtime, sending the series back to Chicago. All five games have gone into overtime.