Season series: Forwards Joonas Donskoi and Joe Thornton scored 3:20 apart in the second period to help the San Jose Sharks defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Feb. 4. Matt Nieto scored, Joe Pavelski had two assists and goalie Martin Jones made 26 saves. Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester scored and Brian Elliott made 29 saves.
Sharks team scope: Forward Tommy Wingels and defenseman Brenden Dillon will not play on Monday but could return as early as Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, according to coach Peter DeBoer. Wingels, who missed a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, did not practice Sunday because of an upper-body injury he sustained Thursday against the Florida Panthers. Dillon has missed five games with an upper-body injury but practiced Sunday. "I still anticipate we'll see them on the trip," DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News. "[Dillon] for sure, Wingels questionable." The Sharks are 2-1-0 with two games left on their five-game road trip. San Jose, in third place in the Pacific Division, trails the first-place Los Angeles Kings by five points with a game in hand.
Blues team scope: Forward Alexander Steen was placed on injured reserve Sunday and will be re-evaluated in four weeks after sustaining an upper-body injury in the first period of a 6-4 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Goalie Jake Allen was activated from injured reserve on Sunday, and the Blues assigned goalie Jordan Binnington and defenseman Peter Harrold to Chicago of the American Hockey League. Despite Allen's return, Elliott is expected to start his 18th straight game. Elliott is 12-3-2 with a 1.76 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in 17 starts since Allen went down. Forward Jaden Schwartz has a goal in four of five games since returning from a fractured left ankle. The Blues have won a season-high five straight games and are 7-1-1 in February; their one regulation loss came against the Sharks.
Just as St. Louis reached what's arguably been its season pinnacle to date, the hockey gods went and took something major away.
It'll be at least four weeks before No. 2 scorer Alexander Steen sees the ice again, and life without a top forward begins Monday night against the visiting San Jose Sharks as the Blues try to extend their season-best winning streak.
That streak reached five with Saturday's 6-4 win in Arizona, and Steen had a huge impact despite barely stepping on the ice. Steen quickly recorded a goal and an assist in just over two minutes of ice time then skated off holding his left arm, officially landing on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
"When our best all-around player goes down, there's a lot to shoulder," captain David Backes told the team's official website. "Different guys stepped up and played bigger minutes with bigger responsibility and did a heck of a job."
There's the consolation of getting goaltender Jake Allen back after sustaining a lower-body injury on Jan. 8 - he was activated Sunday - but that might only be an upgraded insurance policy given the way Brian Elliott has handled increased work. Granted, Elliott gave up four goals on 22 shots to the Coyotes, but he's gone 10-2-2 with a 1.70 goals-against average dating to Jan. 16.
One of those defeats came against the Sharks. St. Louis' last regulation loss came back on Feb. 4 to San Jose, going 6-0-1 since that 3-1 home loss. The Blues (35-17-9) have limited opponents to 12 goals in that time, and their penalty kill has gone 38 of 40 (95.0 percent) in nine games this month.
Offensively, the six-goal output matched a season high after topping out at two goals in nine of their last 12 games.
"You kept shaking your head and wondering if it was real," Backes said. "(Arizona) had 12 goals in their last two (games), and I don't know if we had that many in the last eight or nine.
"It was a wild ride, but we found another way to get another win and five in a row is a good feeling. Different guys are stepping up all the time."
Jaden Schwartz has been one of them with a goal in three straight games, and the forward has four goals and an assist in five games back from a fractured left ankle. The Blues are 10-2-0 with him on the ice this season.
San Jose (31-21-5) is out to bounce back from Friday's 5-2 loss in Carolina and win for the fourth time in five games as it continues a five-game road trip.
It was a rare road defeat for the Sharks, who had won eight of their previous 10 away games and are a win from matching their 2014-15 road win total of 21. It was also their third game in four nights, so two days off is probably much appreciated.
"We've been consistently good for a long time," said coach Peter DeBoer, whose team had allowed four goals on its preceding three-game winning streak. "You're going to have those once in a while. It's how we respond to it. I think we just have to throw it away and get ready for the next one."
The win in St. Louis at the beginning of the month featured a goal from Joe Thornton, who saw his seven-game point streak come to an end against the Hurricanes, but he has 11 on a six-game run against the Blues.
Martin Jones faced Carolina and St. Louis, posting a 1.58 GAA on a 4-1-0 span.
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Doubt he plays tonight, but Roman Polak was traded to the Sharks this morning for Raffi Torres and two second rounders. Nick Spalding also going to SJ as well.
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Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
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theohall wrote:Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
Winning the division would put us in a situation to play teams like Nashville, Colorado, or San Jose in the first round. I'd take any of those teams over Dallas or Chicago. Winning the division is going to be huge this year, as the top 3 teams in the conference are all in central. I'd rather let the Stars and Hawks beat each other up and play the victor in the second round.
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theohall wrote:Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
Winning the division would put us in a situation to play teams like Nashville, Colorado, or San Jose in the first round. I'd take any of those teams over Dallas or Chicago. Winning the division is going to be huge this year, as the top 3 teams in the conference are all in central. I'd rather let the Stars and Hawks beat each other up and play the victor in the second round.
Said the Minnesota Wild.
Official LGB sponsor of Robert Thomas 2022-2023 Season
theohall wrote:Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
Winning the division would put us in a situation to play teams like Nashville, Colorado, or San Jose in the first round. I'd take any of those teams over Dallas or Chicago. Winning the division is going to be huge this year, as the top 3 teams in the conference are all in central. I'd rather let the Stars and Hawks beat each other up and play the victor in the second round.
Said the Minnesota Wild.
I'd rather play Minnesota than Dallas or Chicago in the first round.
2015-2016 LGB sponsor of Robert Bortuzzo
2014-2015 LGB sponsor of Kevin Shattenkirk
2013-2014 LGB sponsor of Brendan Morrow
2013 LGB sponsor of Jamie Langenbrunner
2011-2012 LGB sponsor of Jamie Langenbrunner
2008-2009 LGB sponsor of David Backes
theohall wrote:Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
Winning the division would put us in a situation to play teams like Nashville, Colorado, or San Jose in the first round. I'd take any of those teams over Dallas or Chicago. Winning the division is going to be huge this year, as the top 3 teams in the conference are all in central. I'd rather let the Stars and Hawks beat each other up and play the victor in the second round.
Said the Minnesota Wild.
I'd rather play Minnesota than Dallas or Chicago in the first round.
This year it's more likely to be Nashville or Colorado. If we can't beat them, it's ridiculous to think we could beat Chicago or Dallas in a 7-game series.
To be pessimistic, if we do win the division and beat NSH/COL in the first round, then lose to CHI/DAL in the second round, does that guarantee another year of the status quo?
Replace Steen with Paajarvi moving Backes back to Center....
Blues have two "effective" lines, instead of 3. Sorry. Paajarvi is on his 2nd NHL contract and still can't finish. Only guy I remember with worse hands was Jamal Mayers in terms of finishing chances. How many chances does this guy get? It's kind of ridiculous. Meanwhile, players like Rattie, who actually have the skill to finish, stay in the minors. On top of Paajarvi's inability to finish, he seems incapable of seeing the ice and passing to someone else when he has the puck in the offensive zone.
Look for a ton of playing along the boards with the back to the goal and playing behind the goal line with little chance of generating scoring chances from the 3rd line. Hope I'm wrong.
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theohall wrote:Screw the division. Save it for the playoffs. The last thing I want to see this team doing is chasing a division title and busting their ass, then sucking in the playoffs, again.
I don't think we should make the division the be all, end all or anything. Get as many points as we can while maintaining our health for the playoffs (I know, easier said than done). I won't be upset if we win the division though.
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