Blues at Sharks
THE STORY: A hiccup in their last game wasn’t enough to diminish what has been a successful road trip for the St. Louis Blues. They will now look to stay unbeaten this season against the San Jose Sharks while closing out a six-game jaunt on Saturday night. The Blues have won the first three meetings this season, including shutting out the Sharks in the past two. St. Louis is the NHL’s top defensive team and leads the league with 12 shutouts.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, Fox Midwest, CSNC
ABOUT THE BLUES (40-18-7): St. Louis had won its first four games of the trip before a 2-0 loss to Western Conference-leading Vancouver. A win over the Sharks would move the Blues back into a first-place tie with Detroit in the Central. Netminder Jaroslav Halak is riding a hot streak coming in, going 4-0-0 while stopping 106 of 113 shots his past four outings. Halak owns a pair of shutouts in six career starts against San Jose.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (33-23-7): The Sharks may have to find a way to win again without head coach Todd McLellan, who has missed two games with concussion-like symptoms after being struck in the head with a stick. McLellan ran practice for the first time Friday but has not yet been cleared to return to the bench for games. The Sharks, who are in a fight for the Pacific crown, are 1-1 without their coach, including a 1-0 loss to Buffalo on Thursday.
OVERTIME:
1. Sharks second-leading scorer Logan Couture has missed two straight with a lower-body injury. He did not practice Friday and is questionable to face St. Louis.
2. The Blues have killed off their past 12 penalties.
3. St. Louis center T.J. Oshie has five assists his last four games.