Blues at Sharks
After seizing home-ice advantage with a dominant victory in St. Louis on Tuesday, the San Jose Sharks look to continue the momentum when they host the Blues in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Thursday night. The Sharks rolled to a 4-0 victory in Game 2, their fifth victory by a margin of at least three goals in the past 10 games.
The Blues were outplayed in both games at home and only a stellar performance by netminder Brian Elliott in Game 1 is keeping them from staring at a 2-0 series deficit. "(They have) got their 'A' game going right now, and it's our job to catch up," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters about San Jose. "We have played two 'B' games, and I think at times quite frankly, we're fortunate it's 1-1. We'll take 1-1 right now with the way we've played." The Sharks were 18-20-3 during the regular season at SAP Center - the worst home mark of any playoff team - but have rectified those issues by winning five in a row there, with their only loss coming in overtime in the first round. "SAP Center is different come playoff time," San Jose forward Logan Couture told reporters. "It's full, it's loud, it's an intimidating building, and that definitely helps."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE BLUES: St. Louis captain David Backes acknowledged that San Jose was the best team for five of the six periods in Games 1 and 2, one reason why coach Ken Hitchcock said he is planning to make changes to his lineup to jump-start his team. "I think changing your lineup has a real impact. There can't be any emotion in the coaches' decisions at this time," Hitchcock told reporters Wednesday. "You have to do what's best for your team. ... We're probably going to have to make a few more tomorrow and hopefully they work." Leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko (seven post-season goals) registered a game-high six shots on goal Tuesday but has been held off the scoresheet in the series.
ABOUT THE SHARKS: Brent Burns established franchise records for a defenseman during the regular season with 27 goals and 75 points and has not slowed down in the playoffs, netting a pair of power-play goals in Game 2 to give him six for the postseason. "Best I've ever seen," San Jose coach Pete DeBoer told reporters about Burns' shooting prowess from the point. "I think (it's) just how he can get it off from every angle, how he can get it to the net off balance, in bad spots. He finds a way to get it there. If it's in the right spot, it's going in. That's a great weapon for us." Couture had a pair of assists Tuesday to set a team playoff record with 19 points.
OVERTIME
1. San Jose is 15-for-50 on the power play in the postseason.
2. The Blues are 5-2 on the road in the playoffs as opposed to 4-5 at home.
3. Burns is the 11th defenseman in history with multiple goals in more than one playoff game.