SAN JOSE — The roar started in the third period. The sold out home crowd, who had waited a generation for this moment, rose up in unison to begin the countdown on the biggest win in Sharks franchise history.
Finally, after 25 years, the moment they waited for had arrived. Joel Ward scored twice and Martin Jones made 24 saves as the Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 to win the Western Conference final series four-games-to-two and clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks, who await the winner of the Eastern Conference final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins.