Just a few things that caught my eye:

• David Backes' boo-boo could cost him plenty. A strong playoff run -- he'd chalked up 13 points in 16 postseason games prior to Saturday -- has been masking what's been a bit of decline since the odometer turned 30. The better his playoffs, the better his contract come July 1. Flush.
• One hundred and 56 minutes and 59 seconds. That's all it took for the Blues to finally get on the scoreboard. Wow.

• High pain threshold? Trevor Daley. Low? Ben Bishop. I'm surprised CBC's Don Cherry hasn't talked about one of them being a good Canadian boy and the other one, not.
• Steve Yzerman and Jon Cooper are two smart dudes. Steven Stamkos won't play this series, but they're not saying that. Instead, they're letting him practice and handle the throngs of media. And that means time and space for the rest of the squad. #HockeySmart
• The goalie change worked for St. Loo. Does that mean it's coming for Pittsburgh? Hmmm ...
• San Jose had 16 shots in the third period Saturday -- that's the same number they fired the previous game. Just saying.
• Brent Burns and Paul Martin must have both had bad oysters before the game. Their games were queasy to say the least, especially in the first. I guess even the best can be human. Right?
• Speaking of Backes. How will the Blues replace his edge? Alexander Steen plays a gritty, hard game, but it's Backes who leads the NHL in hits this postseason. That's pretty important against a big, fast Sharkie squad.
• Nikita Kucherov really is something else. He leads the Bolts in scoring (nine goals, seven assists) and has a plus-14 rating in 14 games. I've said it a hundred times, but I'll repeat it again -- Kuch is the future cornerstone of the Bolts. Steven Stamkos will be suiting up elsewhere.