St. Louis Blues readying best punch for Sharks in Game 3

SAN JOSE, Calif. – According to St. Louis Blues forward Kyle Brodziak there's no current worries about his team's effort in the Western Conference Final.

"I don’t think effort is ever going to be a question mark," he said.

So how can the Blues figure out a way to get momentum back from the San Jose Sharks?

"It’s just adjustments," Brodziak said.

For the Blues before Game 3, this means figuring out ways to generate more speed against a group of Sharks who are both big and mobile.

“We just have to be quicker in all zones. We have to be in the defensive zone we have to be quicker getting pucks up and bringing battles higher into the zone at the bluelines and up to our wingers,” Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “They seem to do a really good job on their forecheck. We need to be quicker in the neutral zone like I just said and once we’re in their offensive zone, we have to skate with pucks – our defensemen can do a little better job on the blueline of moving when we don’t have the puck, so just be active and I think that will help break down that strong swarm they seem to play.”

The belief heading into Game 3 is that the Blues are readying to give their best shot at the Sharks. The series is tied 1-1, but there’s a sense St. Louis hasn’t played their best hockey yet.

Through two games the Blues have allowed five goals – four in Game 2 – and have allowed the Sharks to fire 15 more shot attempts in the series. There’s a feeling the Blues are lucky to be tied going into Game 3 at SAP Center.

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“We know we're going to play better. We know,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Whether we play our best game, we knew the playoffs is all about getting better. We need to play better than we did in Game 2. We know we will and we know what it looks like. It's a game based on effort and puck support. It doesn't matter what the opposition does. If you've got that going, you're going to be in good shape.”

In order to try to give his lineup more balance Hitchcock appears poised to make a move up front for some skill. Forward Magnus Paajarvi is be likely to draw into the lineup, replacing agitating forward Steve Ott.

Paajarvi had nine points in 48 games this past regular season, but is known for having more of a scorer’s touch than Ott or Ryan Reaves – another player Hitchcock has used in his lineup this postseason. Ott and Reaves are also more penalty prone than Paajarvi and the Sharks' power play is their biggest weapon.

“We're making changes. We've always done it when we don't feel our group is performing the way we want them to,” Hitchcock said. “We've been fortunate that every time we've made the changes, we've played better. We're looking to make changes again.”

Really though, it all boils down to whether the Blues are more prepared than the Sharks and if the coaching staff has stressed the right changes to their players.

“You try to make adjustments for good or bad, whatever happened the last game. It’s tough to describe. You don’t really know it’s a subconscious thing of why you play a really good game and seem to not be able to follow it up the next game,” Brodziak said. “It’s a weird thing, it’s the way it goes, hopefully tonight we’ll be able to turn the tide in our favor.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper