The San Jose Sharks defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to advance to the franchise's first Stanley Cup Final ever.

Joe Pavelski and Joel Ward led the way for San Jose as Pavelski netted his NHL post-season-high 13th goal and Ward added a pair of goals in Game 7 including what would be the eventual winning goal early in the 3rd period.

"Unbelievable, especially to do it at home," Sharks center Joe Thornton said. "These guys have been waiting 25 years for this. ... It's pretty sweet."

Sharks Patrick Marleau played his 165th career playoff game, the most ever for someone who never played in the finals.

"It's a great moment for those guys who have put in a lot of work but we still have another series to go," Sharks center Logan Couture said. "We still have four more wins to try to get. It's another step. This is the third one now. We're ready for that next challenge."

The Sharks now await the Game 7 winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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