Patrik Berglund is a man possessed. Andy McDonald is the quarterback, and together they're making the Blues' power play unstoppable.
3 for 4 with the man-advantage in game three, taking advantage of one of the worst penalty kills in the NHL. Nonetheless, the Blues put on a power-play clinic that made San Jose pay for every bad penalty they took.
Berglund got it going in the first period, burying a rebound home to open the scoring. He would be a big part of the Blues scoring all night.
It was Berglund who notched an assist in front of the net when a puck squirted loose to Andy McDonald for the tie-breaking goal. The Blues would go ahead and never look back.
Fast forward to the 4th goal, scored by Alex Steen on yet another power play. It was Patrik Berglund who battled for position in front of Antti Niemi, so when Steen shot the puck, the Sharks goalie never saw it coming. Bergie may have not gotten an assist but he played a big part.
It's clear the Blues special teams are a major reason to their success thus far in the playoffs. They're carrying the momentum from a solid penalty kill unit (ranked 7th in the NHL) into the playoffs. Their power-play was clicking to end the year, primarily on the road.
The best part abo
ut the success of the power play is that lots of different guys are getting in on the action. Jason Arnott netted a goal, Alex Steen scored his first career playoff goal. And Patrik Berglund is playing his way into a nice new contract extension, hopefully with the Blues.
The biggest key going forward will be to open game 4 with the same energy and pressure in the first period. The Blues need to set the tone early in game 4 and build on it. If they play with confidence, their special teams should come with it, and give them the boost they need to win another huge game.
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