Blues at Sharks
The San Jose Sharks look to remain perfect on their five-game homestand when they face off against the red-hot St. Louis Blues on Friday afternoon. San Jose began its string of home games with regulation victories over Tampa Bay and New Jersey before outlasting Los Angeles in a shootout on Wednesday. Captain Joe Thornton, who also scored in second period, netted the decisive goal in the eighth round of the bonus format as the Sharks posted their sixth win in seven overall games.
St. Louis extended its winning streak to five contests with a 4-1 triumph at Colorado on Wednesday. Alex Steen tied Washington's Alex Ovechkin for the goal-scoring lead with his 20th of the season and captain David Backes recorded a tally and an assist as the Blues improved to 10-1-1 over their last 12 games. St. Louis looks to avenge a 6-2 home loss to San Jose on Oct. 15 in the first meeting between the clubs this season.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), CSN California (San Jose)
ABOUT THE BLUES (18-3-3): Steen needed just 24 games to reach the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his career. The 29-year-old scored a career-high 24 goals in 68 contests during the 2009-10 season. St. Louis has allowed just one goal in 21 short-handed situations over its last seven games.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (16-3-5): Thornton's regulation goal was his 1,143rd career point, moving him past Nicklas Lidstrom for sole possession of 50th place on the all-time list. The veteran trails Michel Goulet by nine points for 49th place. Thornton was a major contributor in San Jose's win over St. Louis in October, registering a goal and three assists.
OVERTIME
1. The Blues have won three straight on the road.
2. San Jose is 1-for-16 on the power play over its last five games.
3. St. Louis C Jaden Schwartz's short-handed goal Wednesday extended his point streak to five contests.