SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two years after their most devastating playoff loss, the San Jose Sharks held their most meaningful celebration.

The franchise notorious for falling short each postseason will finally get the chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

Captain Joe Pavelski scored an early goal, Joel Ward added two more and the Sharks advanced to their first Stanley Cup final in franchise history by beating the St. Louis Blues 5-2 on Wednesday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference final.

“You try to learn from experiences,” Pavelski said. “You like to not have to. But that’s the course we’ve taken. Now that we’re here, again, this was a great step for us. It was another step. ... But we realize there’s more out there. That’s what we’re going to turn our attention to.”

Few outside San Jose thought this day would come so soon after the team blew the 3-0 series lead in a soul-crushing playoff defeat to rival Los Angeles in 2014 and then missed the playoffs entirely last season.

But on the same ice surface where they watched the Kings celebrate on the way to their second championship, the Sharks posted the biggest win in their 25-year history.