2. RESILIENCY
The Sharks have had a knack throughout the second half of the regular season and the playoffs of bouncing back after tough losses. That served them well twice against the Blues. After losing 2-1 in Game 1, the Sharks responded with a 4-0 victory in Game 2. Then after losing 6-3 in Game 4, they defeated the Blues 6-3 in Game 5.
"They're a smart group," DeBoer said. "They're a veteran group. The most important thing is they understand our identity as a team. When we get away from it we get burnt. ... Every time we've reset. The guys have got back to our game. When we're playing that way, we're hard to beat."
3. SHUT-DOWN DEFENSEMEN
The Sharks held Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored 40 goals in the regular season, without a point in the series until he scored two goals in the third period of Game 6 after San Jose built a 4-0 lead. Tarasenko's slump seemed mysterious throughout the playoffs, but DeBoer pointed to a logical reason.
"I think what's lost a little when they're talking about Tarasenko is Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun are pretty good defensemen," DeBoer said. "So are Brent Burns and Paul Martin."
Tarasenko rarely had much time or space to operate during the series.
4. CHECK PLEASE
The Sharks defeated the Blues at their own game, rolling four lines and checking relentlessly in all three zones. They pressured the Blues into mistakes and were able to capitalize on them.
"Their ability to check won them the series," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They were committed a little bit better than us. They did a great job. Their forwards really worked and put a lot of pressure on us from the backside. Constant pressure, and had the energy to play that way."