The St. Louis Blues hope a return home can spark the offense when the San Jose Sharks visit on Thursday.
The Blues’ season began with a three-game road trip, and the initial success of a 4-0 shutout over the Dallas Stars. St. Louis then lost its next two games while being outscored 10-3, including Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Despite a 13-4 shots edge in the third period and a 27-21 shots advantage in the game as a whole, the Blues couldn’t mount a comeback against Chicago. St. Louis is averaging 19 even-strength shots per game, and four of the team’s seven goals have come in 5-on-5 play.
Connor McMichael leads St. Louis with three points (one goal, two assists). Robert Thomas and Dylan Holloway led the Blues in goals last season, but the forwards are each still looking for their first point of the new campaign.
Tuesday was “a game we feel like we can step up and take over, so yeah, it is frustrating. You feel like you’re letting the group down,” Thomas told The Athletic.
“But that’s the beauty of the league. We’re playing again tomorrow night and we have another opportunity to do it in our home opener.”
San Jose is also looking to bounce back after one of its worst-ever offensive games. The Sharks were outshot 26-13 in Monday’s 5-0 loss to Dallas, tying the eighth-lowest shot total in franchise history.
Since the Sharks scored nine times while winning their first two games of the season, Macklin Celebrini’s absence stands out as the obvious reason for Monday’s struggles. Celebrini took part in the warm-up skate on Monday but was a late scratch from the lineup due to a lower-body injury.
Celebrini didn’t practice on Tuesday or Wednesday, and Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told San Jose Hockey Now on Tuesday that the forward is day-to-day. Warsofsky described the unspecified injury as “something we’ve been trying to manage here a little bit.”
It remains uncertain if Celebrini will face the Blues, but “our identity doesn’t change whether Mack’s in the lineup or not. He’s a great player, we know that, but we need guys to step up and fill some spots,” Warsofsky said.
Celebrini has five assists in two games, leading the Sharks in both helpers and points. Will Smith and Igor Chernyshov share the team’s goal lead with two apiece.
Yaroslav Askarov has been in net for all three of San Jose’s games, posting an .862 save percentage and 3.86 goals-against average. After allowing five goals on 26 Dallas shots, Askarov may get a rest Thursday so backup goalie Alex Nedeljkovic could get his first action of the season.
Joel Hofer has started two of the Blues’ three games, with Jordan Binnington starting last Saturday’s 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Binnington would be lined up to face the Sharks if St. Louis is using a strict goalie rotation, though Hofer finished last season as the team’s preferred choice in net.
Veteran defenseman Colton Parayko is expected to play Thursday in his 804th game with the Blues, the second-most in franchise history. He’s currently tied with Barret Jackman.
The Sharks have a nine-game points streak (5-0-4) against the Blues over the previous three seasons.
