Sharks at Blues
THE STORY: St. Louis Blue left wing David Perron will step onto the ice Saturday night for his fourth game of the season after being sidelined for over a year with concussion-related symptoms. Perron will get a clear reminder of why he was forced to miss 97 games when Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks pay a visit to the Blues. Thornton applied the hit that gave Perron the concussion, but the 23-year-old Blues forward said he is not out for revenge. "It's a hockey game," Perron said. “I mean, I would say it's going to be weird a little bit at first. But after the first few shifts it's just going to be another game and it's just unfortunate the way the accident happened last year.” Intriguing subplot aside, the matchup will provide a good measuring stick for the Blues, who have lost 18 of 25 meetings with San Jose since the start of the 2005-06 season.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSCA, FSMW
ABOUT THE SHARKS (15-9-1): San Jose had lost four of five games before thumping Dallas 5-2 on Thursday. The Sharks scored three goals – two assisted by Thornton – in a shade over six minutes to break it open. Thornton has eight goals and 29 assists in 34 games against St. Louis. Logan Couture scored his fourth goal in three games. Despite being shorthanded a league-low 77 times, the Sharks own the worst penalty-killing unit. They also have one power-play goal in the last 20 chances.
ABOUT THE BLUES (16-9-3): St. Louis may not be able to exploit San Jose’s penalty-killing woes. The Blues’ power-play unit ranks last in the league and they have scored an NHL-low 10 goals with the extra skater. St. Louis has perked up offensively, scoring seven goals in winning its last two games. That follows a stretch in which the Blues failed to score more than two goals in eight straight. St. Louis is 10-2-3 since Ken Hitchcock took over as coach.
OVERTIME:
1. Blues G Brian Elliott owns a league-leading 1.56 goals-against average and beat the Sharks earlier this season.
2. San Jose has made itself at home in St. Louis, going 10-2-1 in its last 13 visits.