San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 21st 2024
Preview and Prediction
St. Louis Blues star center Robert Thomas made his return on Tuesday after being out for four weeks due to a fractured ankle.
Thomas led the team's top power-play unit, tallied an assist, and played over 23 minutes in the Blues' 4-2 defeat against the Minnesota Wild.
The Blues, who have lost six of their last seven games (1-5-1), will attempt to bounce back on Thursday night as they host the San Jose Sharks.
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"We need to put in more effort to regain possession of the puck, as a collective group, if we want to have more control and generate more offense," stated Blues coach Drew Bannister. "That's our main focus heading into the game against San Jose."
"We simply need to be more dedicated to working harder and executing the right plays to gain possession, so we can create scoring opportunities."
Bannister reunited Thomas with Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich in an effort to spark more offense during 5-on-5 play against the Wild.
"I felt pretty good," Thomas commented. "My timing was a bit off, but I started to feel more comfortable as the game went on."
On October 10th, Thomas and Kyrou each recorded two assists, while Joel Hofer made 25 saves to help the Blues secure a 5-4 overtime win in San Jose.
In that game, Sharks' first overall pick Macklin Celebrini notched a goal and an assist, making a strong start to his NHL career. Celebrini plays on San Jose's second line alongside Will Smith and veteran Barclay Goodrow.
"He's been impressive and has a remarkable skill set," said Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky of the 18-year-old Celebrini. "He's always looking for the puck and demands it on the ice, so we knew he would drive our team and himself in a certain way."
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San Jose's top line of William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund, along with veteran Mikael Granlund, have been producing well for the team. In their 5-2 loss to Dallas on Wednesday, Granlund scored a goal and assisted on another, while Eklund added an assist.
"That line has great chemistry and you can see their familiarity in the offensive zone," Warsofsky praised. "They are doing some really impressive things. (Granlund) has taken both of those guys under his wing and helped them become true professionals and take that next step."
The Sharks, who have a record of 1-2-2 in their last five games, had Mackenzie Blackwood in goal for Wednesday's game. With Vitek Vanecek out day-to-day due to an upper-body injury, Yaroslav Askarov was called up from the Sharks' American Hockey League team to serve as Blackwood's backup.
However, Vanecek also traveled with the team and Warsofsky has yet to decide who will start in goal for Thursday's game against the Blues.
Blues forward Brayden Schenn and defenseman Justin Faulk did not participate in Wednesday's practice. Bannister stated that it was just a "maintenance day" for both players and he expects them to play against the Sharks.
Defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph continued his recovery from a lower-body injury by practicing on Wednesday. Bannister was uncertain if he would be back in the lineup for Thursday's game.
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues Recap MAR 9TH 2023
Robert Thomas scored a goal and added an assist to lead to St. Louis Blues past visiting San Jose Sharks 4-2 Thursday.
Torey Krug, Sammy Blais and Jakub Vrana also scored for the Blues, who won for just the second time in their last 10 games.
Pavel Buchnevich had two assists for St. Louis and Jordan Binnington made 32 saves to earn his first victory since Feb. 16.
Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks, who are 2-9-1 in the last 12 games. Alex Barabanov had two assists and Kaapo Kahkonen made 26 saves.
The Sharks outshot the Blues 15-9 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead at the 10:23 mark.
Barabanov faked a shot from the left circle, then slid a pass to Karlsson at the right circle - and Karlsson scored before Binnington could slide over.
That was Karlsson's 20th goal and 83rd point of the season, setting a new career high point total.
Krug tied the game 1-1 by converting a 3-on-2 break with 7:29 left in the period. Thomas rushed the puck up the right wing, Alexey Toropchenko drove the net from the left wing and Krug stepped in as the trailer to score.
The Blues took a 2-1 lead midway in the second period. Colton Parayko dove in the neutral zone to tip the rolling puck ahead to Blais, who broke to beat Kahkonen.
The Sharks tied the game 2-2 with 5:29 left in the period. Barabanov stickhandled through the middle of the Blues zone and set up Hertl's blast from the slot.
Vrana scored 2:32 into the third period to put the Blues up 3-2. First Pavel Buchnevich tried to jam the puck in at the right post, then Vrana pushed the puck behind Kahkonen and off Karlsson.
Thomas scored a power-play goal to expand the Blues lead to 4-2 with 4:48 left. Brandon Saad made the centering pass from behind the net and Thomas ripped a one-time shot from the right faceoff dot.