St. Louis @ San Jose preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2018 ) St. Louis 0, San Jose 4

The San Jose Sharks entered this month trailing first-place Calgary by seven points in the Pacific Division, but they have won three in a row to pull within one of the slumping Flames. The Sharks look to keep their eyes on the division leaders and complete a perfect four-game homestand against the visiting St. Louis Blues on Saturday afternoon.

Despite a number of players battling the flu, San Jose has amassed 14 goals during its three-game winning streak, including consecutive 5-2 wins over Montreal and Chicago. "I think we're dealing with a little bit of flu going through the team and a little shorthanded," coach Peter DeBoer said after his team improved to 11-1-1 at home since the Christmas break. The Blues are trying to complete a sweep of a three-game California road trip after knocking off Anaheim (5-4) and Los Angeles (4-0) to improve to 10-2-1 in their last 13 away from home. "We had a tough little stretch there," goaltender Jake Allen said. "Now we're coming back. We're working our way up the mountain."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, NHL Network, FS Midwest (St. Louis), NBCS California (San Jose)

ABOUT THE BLUES (36-25-6): Rookie netminder Jordan Binnington has been instrumental in St. Louis' turnaround since he was called up from the minors in early January, but coach Craig Berube hinted he may opt to stick with Allen after Thursday's 28-save shutout. The Blues ripped off 11 wins in a row upon the formation of the Vladimir Tarasenko-Ryan O'Reilly-Brayden Schenn line and have picked right back up since Schenn returned from a six-game injury absence. The trio has accounted for 11 points in the first two games of the road trip,

ABOUT THE SHARKS (40-19-8): Defenseman Erik Karlsson has missed the past three games due to a groin injury and will not be returning to the lineup "anytime soon," he told reporters Friday. Karlsson, who missed nine games from mid-January to mid-February with a similar malady, said his current injury isn't in the exact same area and guaranteed that he will be fully healthy for the postseason. "One-hundred percent," Karlsson said. "Should be no issues for (the playoffs). It's just whether I can get a few games in before, which would be nice."

OVERTIME

1. Sharks F Evander Kane, who has missed the past three games with an undisclosed injury, did not practice Friday.

2. Tarasenko needs two goals to reach 30 for the fifth consecutive season.

3. Sharks Fs Marcus Sorensen and Timo Meier each have three-game goal-scoring streaks.

PREDICTION: Sharks 3, Blues 2