Blues nearing end of their long wait

SAN JOSE, Calif. — From last in the league in early January all the way to the brink of their first Stanley Cup Final in nearly a half-century, it has been quite a ride for the St. Louis Blues.

A remarkable turnaround continued Sunday with perhaps their most convincing win of a charmed playoff run.

Jaden Schwartz started a dominant second period with the first of his three goals, Vladimir Tarasenko scored on a penalty shot and the Blues moved one win from the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

“It’s probably tough to put into words,” Schwartz said. “You don’t want to look too far ahead. We all know how important and how hard that last win’s going to be.”

St. Louis used a relentless forecheck to take control of the game and series in the second period, scoring twice and outshooting the beleaguered Sharks 20-6. The Blues also got 21 saves from Jordan Binnington in his first playoff shutout and a first-period goal from Oskar Sundqvist to overwhelm the Sharks.

Schwartz added two goals in the third for his second hat trick this postseason, becoming the first player with two in one playoff run since Detroit’s Johan Franzen in 2008.

The victory gave the Blues a 3-2 series lead, the closest they’ve been to making the final since getting there in their first three seasons as the winner of the all-expansion Western Conference. St. Louis can earn its first trip back to the finals since 1970 with a win at home in Game 6 on Tuesday night, an improbable journey for a team that was last in the standings on Jan. 2.

“We’re very close right now,” forward Patrick Maroon said. “I think the guys know that. It’s in the back of their heads, but we know that that’s a good hockey team over there too, and they’re not going to give up.”

“We’ve been here before,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. “Had to go on the road and win in Vegas to get to a Game 7. You’re never comfortable when your back’s against the wall, but we have been here before and found a way.”