Looking for a fast-paced, high-scoring hockey game to enjoy? Look no further than Thursday night’s matchup between the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues. The past two meetings between the two teams accounted for a total of 14 goals. Can St. Louis give the Sharks a case of the blues in their third game? Read on as we give you a complete preview of this exciting matchup.
The Sharks and Blues aren’t the only hot matchup on the cards for Thursday. The NBA also has an intriguing game between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers that night. You can view our complete preview of the Heat vs. Blazers here.
[sc:NHLArticles ]San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Preview
Where: Scottrade Center, San Jose
When: Thursday, January 8, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues – view all NHL lines
Betting on the San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have eked out two straight wins to recover from their 7-2 drubbing at the hands of St. Louis on Saturday. They won 3-2 against Winnipeg on Monday and 4-3 in overtime against Minnesota on Tuesday thanks to the late game heroics of defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
[sc:NHL240 ]Vlasic scored both winning goals in the past two games, netting an overtime goal against the Wild and scoring the winner at 4.5 seconds left in regulation against the Jets. He now has four points in his past four games.
The Sharks will need much more than Vlasic when they take on the Blues. They’ll need top goal-scorer Joe Pavelski to be on-point especially with the Blues’ No. 1 netminder Brian Elliot finally healthy to start. Pavelski has racked up four points (one goal and three assists) over the past two games, and has at least a point in each of the Sharks’ two games against St. Louis this season.
Defenseman Brent Burns has also been a very active contributor. He is on a four-game points streak (one goal and five assists), including an assist against the Blues on Saturday. Burns scored a power play goal against St. Louis in the first game between the two teams on December 20.
In between the pipes, Antti Niemi started both games against St. Louis allowing a total of eight goals. He has a save percentage of .830 over those games.
The Sharks are 4-1 in their last five games against St. Louis
Betting on the St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are red-hot, racking up back-to-back dominant wins. They followed up their big 7-2 win over San Jose with a dominant 6-0 decision over the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night.
Playing in his third game since being activated from injured reserve, goaltender Brian Elliott was excellent between the pipes. He saved all 23 shots from the Coyotes for his third shutout of the season. Elliott has a 1.80 GAA in the 17 games he’s played this season. Having Elliot back should boost St. Louis’ 3.02 GAA, ranked eighth in the league. The Blues are 4-1 in their last five games with Elliott between the pipes.
The Blues also possess a devastating attacking front which ranks fifth in the league with 3.02 goals per game. St. Louis’ attack was on full display over the past two games, outscoring the Sharks and Coyotes a combined 13-2.
Goals and points leader Vladimir Tarasenko has failed to score a goal in the past two games, but has two assists to bring his points total to a team-high 41. Majority of the Blues goals over the past two games came from David Backes and T.J. Oshie. Backes scored four goals against Arizona, while Oshie scored a hat-trick against the Sharks.
Part of the Blues success against San Jose on Saturday was due to the outstanding play of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. He scored his seventh goal of the season and assisted in three others for a total of four points. With multiple scoring options available for the Blues, Shattenkirk should be able to find the open man with his excellent playmaking. He has 28 assists to lead all NHL defensemen this season.
The Blues are 4-1 in their last five home games.
Writer’s Prediction
A surging offense and solid goaltending power the Blues to their third straight win. Create a betting account now and make some quick cash on the fast-paced action of the NHL.
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