ST. LOUIS (AP) – The San Jose Sharks got just three power plays in their Game 1 loss to open the Western Conference finals, and no call when Joe Thornton’s bushy beard got tugged on by St. Louis Blues captain David Backes in the first period.
Coach Peter DeBoer didn’t make a big deal about it Monday. Still, he believes his team deserved a lot more chances with the man advantage, and is hopeful referees will have a firmer grip in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
“St. Louis is one of the most-penalized teams in the league, regular season and playoffs,” DeBoer said. “They need to call the game accordingly. Need to make them pay a price for being the most-penalized team in the power play, which we didn’t last night.”
The Blues were the ninth-most penalized team in the regular season and they’ve got the second-most minutes in the postseason, although they’ve played more games than anybody.
Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, informed of those comments, wanted to know whether DeBoer was “whining for calls.”