A whopping 16 goals were scored in just two games involving the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The fireworks should continue when the Blues and the Sharks meet for a primetime showdown on Saturday. Read on as we give you a preview of the action to come.
The NFL will also be making some noise on Saturday with a sweet double header featuring the Eagles vs. Redskins and Chargers vs. 49ers.
[sc:NHLArticles ]St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks Preview
Where: SAP Center, San Jose
When: Saturday, December 20, 10:30 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks – view all NHL lines
Betting on the St. Louis Blues
David Backes, Dmitrij Jaskin and Kevin Shattenkirk all scored within three minutes in the first period of Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. However, the Blues failed to contain the defending Stanley Cup champs, ultimately losing 6-4. The loss snapped St. Louis’ five game win streak.
[sc:NHL240 ]Despite the loss, the Blues remained hot on offense with an average of 4.43 goals over the span of their last seven games. That’s way over their season average of 2.97 per game. The catalysts for their offensive explosion were the same as they ever were: Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
Tarasenko leads the Blues with 20 goals and 37 points in the season. He is on a seven-game point streak including a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Shattenkirk remains an important cog in the Blues’ offense with six points (two goals and four assists) in the past four games. As long as Tarasenko and Shattenkirk continue to lead the Blues’ offense, expect them to pepper San Jose’s net with plenty of shots.
After the un-retired Martin Brodeur allowed six goals Thursday night, the Blues will likely return to Jake Allen as their netminder for this game, with Brian Elliot still injured. The Blues have won Allen’s last four starts despite his having posted a .886 save percentage.
The Blues have won four of their last five games at San Jose.
Betting on the San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks had quite a scare, trailing the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 after the second period. Then Matt Tennyson and Barclay Goodrow scored goals 34 seconds of each other in the third for a Sharks victory Thursday night. The Sharks have now won a season-best four straight games and eight out of their last nine.
For San Jose to continue winning games, they’ll need center Joe Thornton to continue his excellent play. Thornton had three-straight multiple point games before being blanked against Edmonton. He has especially effective against the Blues in recent history, bagging eight points (two goals and six assists) in three matchups last season.
Another center, Joe Pavelski, leads the team with 15 goals this season. He has three goals and an assist in the past four games. Pavelski should be another attacking option, especially against shaky goaltending from the Blues.
To take care of business between the pipes, San Jose may choose to start Antti Niemi once again. Niemi is 3-0 in his last three games against the Blues with a 2.33 GAA. The Sharks netminder is currently on a five-game win streak, most recently recording a shutout at home against the Nashville Predators on December 13.
Writer’s Prediction
The Blues end San Jose’s win streak. Are you a Sharks fan who thinks otherwise? Create a betting account now and make a stand.
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