Brian Elliott played the role of the wake up caller Thursday in San Jose.

The St. Louis goaltender was pulled after the Sharks took a 3-0 lead early in the third period of Game 4, but goaltending isn't really the problem for the Blues.

The goal that led to Elliott's early exit was scored by Tomas Hertl - his second of the night - and marked the seventh-straight from the Sharks in the series dating back to Game 2.

The Blues, in fact, have not scored since 9:15 of the second period in Game 1, a span of almost 140 minutes.

So while Jake Allen came in to finish this one, Elliott is expected to be back between the pipes in Game 4, and hopefully with a more inspired bunch in front of him.

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Pass, pass, blast. #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/ODqSrVhO29

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 20, 2016

Tomas Hertl got everything on his fourth goal of the postseason.

The 22-year-old unleashed a wicked slap shot past St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott to open the scoring in Game 3 on Thursday.

Hertl's fourth of the postseason was his second of the Conference Final and ties him with Patrick Marleau for fourth on the team.

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The San Jose Sharks are doing some good off the ice while battling it out for the right to play for the Stanley Cup on the ice.

The club has invited a family from Fort McMurray, Alberta to attend Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

What drew the Sharks to this particular family is that, although they lost lost their home to the devastating wildfire that recently tore through the community, they made a point to save their Sharks gear.

Lost the house in the #ymm fire. Saved the jerseys! @sjsharkie @SanJoseSharks @NHL pic.twitter.com/VMTeaLL4It

— Morgan Rankin (@MorganAshley87) May 7, 2016

The Sharks will fly the family to San Jose for Game 4, where they will be treated to a VIP experience at the game Saturday including zamboni rides, high-fiving the team when they come out of the locker room, and new jerseys.

Well done, Sharks.

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Perfect toss from @mnwild coach Bruce Boudreau to Paul Molitor! pic.twitter.com/dqSfiiqP6m

— Hobie Artigue (@HobieFOX9) May 20, 2016

The Wild got their first real look at head coach Bruce Boudreau in Minnesota swag.

Unfortunately, Boudreau did not don Minnesota Wild attire, but rather that of the Minnesota Twins as the coach was on hand to throw out the opening pitch ahead of the Twins' contest against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Boudreau signed a four-year deal with the Wild on May 7, a week after being fired by the Anaheim Ducks. If his pitch is any inclination, the Wild appear to be in good hands.

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The Heartbreak Kid will be in the house when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday.

Former WWE wrestler Shawn Michaels recently became tied to the team thanks to the red-hot line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel, dubbed HBK for short. After he tuned in to Game 2 while trending on Twitter in Pittsburgh, the club invited Michaels to Game 5, an offer he could not refuse.

In the video, a seemingly shirtless Michaels admits to being new to the game of hockey, and very appreciative of the love from the Penguins and their fans.

"I'm OK with being irrelevant, that's why I retired," Michaels said in the video. "But you guys have made 'HBK' so relevant right now and it's been a blast interacting with everybody over Twitter the last couple days."

Time will tell whether the Penguins will have an opportunity to knock the Lightning out of the playoffs in Game 5 thanks to some sweet chin music.

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Say cheese, Phil.

When Phil Kessel was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Toronto Maple Leafs the move appeared to be a perfect fit, giving Kessel the opportunity to finally step out from under the microscope that is the Toronto media.

He has done just that and is now being rewarded for it.

"He doesn't necessarily want to be in front of the camera or really need that," Sidney Crosby told NHLcom's Dan Rosen.

Kessel has been occupying the team's third line and has thrived, leading the team in scoring with 16 points, while sitting just three points back of the league lead.

Former Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle mentored Kessel during his tenure in Toronto and insists the Penguins sniper prefers to do things his own way.

"The one thing that he doesn't want is he doesn't want management or coaches or the media to see the real Phil," Carlyle said. "He's very guarded in that respect. He wants to hang with his teammates. He's always in the middle of that. He just wants to be a teammate and to let other people decide who the guy is, and that's why he's very comfortable in the role he's cast in now."

And as far as Kessel's teammates in Pittsbugh are concerned, he is nothing less than a player chock-full of talent.

"But you get in a race with him and you're going to get beat," said Kris Letang.

"He shoots the puck so effortless," goaltender Jeff Zatkoff said. "Everyone knows he has a hard shot, but he's coming down the wing and it looks like he's just flinging it on the net, but it just comes so heavy and so quick. If he hits a spot, it's tough to save. You don't have time to readjust."

Jim Rutherford - who was named a finalist for General Manager of the Year on Wednesday - feels there is an unwarranted hate-on for Kessel.

"Lots of people don't like Phil Kessel for some reason," Rutherford said. "He was only the best player Toronto had for (six) years, year in and year out, and he got the blame for everything, which was very unfair."

Love him or hate him, Kessel has been a dominate force for the Penguins during the postseason, having been held off the score sheet in just three of the team's 14 playoff games.

The only problem now being that his furious play is bound to attract attention and cameras alike.

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Two goalies have started playoff games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this year, none of whom are named Marc-Andre Fleury.

Jeff Zatkoff was called upon early when he was the only healthy goalie on the roster, but Matt Murray has since taken over the starting gig - perhaps for good.

But general manager Jim Rutherford doesn't see the Penguins permanently moving on from Fleury anytime soon.

When asked whether Fleury was done with the organization, Rutherford flat out responded, "absolutely not."

"You can never have enough good goalies," Rutherford explained at a press conference Thursday. "The Penguins have three good ones now. I feel bad for Fleury. He’s such a great team guy and we’re fortunate that he is. He’s handled
this situation like a pro. First class. He’s ready to go when called on."

Fleury has been with the club since being drafted first overall in 2003, and he backstopped the club to a Stanley Cup win in 2009. He's recovered from a concussion that kept him out early on and is able to serve as Murray's backup, but head coach Mike Sullivan is sticking with the rookie, who has the look of a bona fide No. 1 goalie.

In terms of cap commitment, the Penguins owe Fleury an average of $5.75 million through to the end of 2018-19, while Murray will make $625,000 next season before hitting restricted free agent status.

Throw in the fact several clubs will be looking to add quality goaltending in the offseason and the possibility of an expansion draft in the not too distant future, and Fleury's long-term future with the Penguins may not be as absolute as Rutherford is currently letting on.

For now, he's a high-paid cheerleader who could be thrust into the fire at a moment's notice should Murray falter or succumb to injury.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Arizona Coyotes and Tucson made it official Thursday, saying the team is moving its American Hockey League franchise to the city. The AHL's board of governors approved the sale of the Springfield Falcons to the Coyotes o...

Zack Kassian is ready to embrace the future in Edmonton.

The 25-year-old, who signed a one-year contract worth a reported $1.5 million with the Oilers on Thursday, will enter next season knowing he's earned a spot on a roster less than a year after going through the NHL's substance abuse program.

"For them to give me another opportunity to show that I've changed my life around ... I'm beyond happy," Kassian said. "I'm just excited to come in and hit the ground running knowing that this is going to be the year that'll make me or break me."

He's also eager to be part of a long-awaited measure of success in Edmonton.

"As players, we're excited to get an opportunity to show that our team is changing & the culture is changing." @zkassian9 on #Oilers future

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 19, 2016

Kassian recorded three goals and five assists in 36 games for the Oilers last season, and will look to rediscover the kind of game that allowed him to be selected 13th overall in 2009.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - Canada kept its title defence alive at the world hockey championship with a 6-0 quarter-final win over Sweden on Thursday. Mark Scheifele and Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists as Canadians rebounded from a 4-...