Sharks at Blues
THE STORY: The most challenging portion of the San Jose Sharks’ schedule has arrived. How they manage it will have an immense impact of their playoff seeding. The Sharks open a nine-game road trip when they travel to face the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night in a battle between two of the Western Conference’s top teams. San Jose’s mammoth trip will span 16 nights and 7,750 miles. “It's going to be a big test, and I think we've got to look at it in two portions, the first half and the second half of the road trip,” forward Ryane Clowe said.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSNC, Fox Midwest
ABOUT THE SHARKS (30-16-6): The first-place Sharks currently sit three points clear of Los Angeles in the Pacific Division, but the gap represents the difference between the No. 3 seed and the seventh. The Sharks snapped a brief two-game slide with a 5-3 win over Chicago on Friday. Brent Burns finished with three assists, including a helper on Benn Ferriero’s game-winner, to give him eight points during his four-game point streak. The Sharks have been efficient on the power play, converting eight of their last 16 opportunities.
ABOUT THE BLUES (33-14-7): The Blues have been one of the NHL’s surprising teams, especially since Ken Hitchcock took the reins on Nov. 6. St. Louis has won three straight overall and are looking for a third consecutive win this season over the Sharks. The Blues have been especially strong at Scottrade Center, where they are 15-0-3 in their past 18 games. Carlo Colaiacovo gave the Blues their latest win Saturday, scoring the winner at 3:18 of overtime against Colorado. David Perron scored in the win for his fifth goal in three outings.
OVERTIME:
1. St. Louis forward Andy McDonald could make his long-awaited return since suffering a concussion on Oct. 13. McDonald, who has appeared in just three games, said he is symptom-free.
2. The Blues have been stingy in the defensive end, as they are allowing just 1.9 goals – tops in the NHL.