CSN Bay Area

Programming note: Sharks-Blues coverage gets underway today at 5 p.m. only on Comcast SportsNet California

Where they stand
Sharks: 7-4-3, 16 points, 3rd Pacific Division, 7th Western Conference
Blues: 9-5-1, 19 points, 2nd Central Division, 4th Western Conference

Vitals
Sharks
Goals per game: 2.50 (22nd) 
Goals-against per game: 2.21 (6th) 
Power play: 20.0 percent (9th) 
Penalty kill: 86.4 percent (5th)

Blues
Goals per game: 3.33 (T – 2nd)
Goals-against per game: 3.13 (23rd)
Power play: 34.6 percent (1st)
Penalty kill: 75.4 percent (T – 23rd)

Probable lines

Sharks
Marleau – Thornton – Pavelski 
Clowe – Couture – Havlat 
Wingels – Handzus – Kennedy 
Desjardins – Burish – Pelech

Vlasic – Burns 
Stuart – Boyle 
Murray – Braun

Niemi-Greiss

Blues
Perron – Backes – Oshie
Sobotka – Berglund – Stewart 
McDonald – Steen – Tarasenko 
Schwartz – Nichol – Reaves

Cole – Pietrangelo 
Jackman – Shattenkirk 
Russell – Polak

Allen-Halak

Keep an eye on…
Sharks: Logan Couture. The Sharks forward snapped a four-game scoring drought with a brilliant assist on Friday, and is one of the team's few skilled forwards that’s given a consistent, honest effort. If the Sharks are going to break out of their scoring slump, Couture will have to play a big part in it.

Blues: Vladimir Tarasenko. The former first round pick in 2010 got off to a flying start in his rookie year, with 10 points in his first eight games. Since then, the winger has cooled off a bit with just two points in his last seven games, but he’s still one of the more intriguing first-year players in the league.

Last game
Sharks: The Sharks lost their seventh straight game on Friday night, 4-1, in Chicago. Tim Kennedy scored the only goal for San Jose, which is 0-4-3 after starting the season 7-0-0. Antti Niemi took the loss in net for the Sharks, who continue a six-game road swing after a brief stop back in the Bay Area over the weekend.

Blues: St. Louis completed a perfect 3-0-0 road trip with a 4-3 shootout win in Vancouver on Sunday. Jake Allen made 28 saves, while Andy McDonald, Patrick Bergulnd and TJ Oshie scored in regulation. Oshie and McDonald converted in the shootout to give the Blues, who were delayed in their return to St. Louis due to issues with teh plane, the extra point in the standings.

Injuries
Sharks: James Sheppard (lower body) is out. Andrew Desjardins (flu) is probable.

Blues: Jamie Langenbrunner (hip) is out for the season. Jaroslav Halak (groin) is questionable.

Season series
This is the first of three meetings between the Sharks and Blues. The Blues visit HP Pavilion on March 9, and the Sharks return here on March 12.

St. Louis won all four games in the regular season in 2011-12, and beat the Sharks in the first round of the playoffs in five games.

Quoteable
“It’s amazing what’s happened in 15 days. It doesn’t even look like the same team. Not even remotely close.” – Todd McLellan, after the Sharks’ seventh straight loss on Friday in Chicago