The San Jose Sharks are in the middle of a long-haul rebuilding effort. The St. Louis Blues are trying to retool more quickly.
These Western Conference rivals will each try to continue their process Thursday when the Blues host the Sharks at Enterprise Center.
The Blues are coming off a 3-1-0 road trip through Western Canada. They are 5-1-1 since Jim Montgomery replaced Drew Bannister as head coach.
Forward Dylan Holloway has fueled that surge with six goals and five assists during that span. He scored the winning goal in overtime Tuesday as the Blues won 4-3 in Vancouver.
Holloway has 10 goals and nine assists in 29 games this season after producing six goals and three assists in 38 games last season for the Edmonton Oilers. He and defenseman Philip Broberg signed free-agent offers with the Blues that the Oilers declined to match them.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Montgomery said of Holloway. “I think he is the best example of how lucky I am to be the head coach of the St. Louis Blues because the whole team has surprised me with their willingness to grow, their willingness to get better, their willingness to compete.
“It’s exciting about what we can become. We’ve got a ways to go, but I’m excited about what we can become.”
Holloway excelled Tuesday on the No. 3 forward line with rookie Zack Bolduc and veteran Oskar Sundqvist.
“I think (Holloway) and Bolduc are really connecting well,” Blues center Robert Thomas said. “They’re playing confidently, they’re attacking. I thought they were our best line 5 on 5 for most of the night and created a lot of chances. They’re holding on to pucks. They obviously have a ton of skill, and are great young players. It’s really exciting to see them start to take the next step.”
The Sharks will bring a three-game losing streak to St. Louis, but they are coming off a solid performance Tuesday during their 3-2 road loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I thought we played a pretty good hockey game,” San Jose coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “There were a couple plays I wish we had managed a little bit better and got a little more on the attack. There’s plays both ways that usually determine the game, and that’s what happened tonight.”
Luke Kunin, a St. Louis-area native, scored both goals for the Sharks in that loss.
“He gets to the inside of the ice,” Warsofsky said. “He’s the heart and soul of our team really. He gives you everything he’s got. To get rewarded with two goals is nice.”
The Blues won the previous two games against the Sharks this season with a 5-4 overtime win in San Jose on Oct. 10 with Joel Hofer in goal and a 3-2 shootout win Nov. 21 in St. Louis with Jordan Binnington in the net.
Alex Wennberg scored twice for the Sharks in the most recent game and Macklin Celebrini and Mikael Granlund each had two assists.
The Sharks will have a different look during this trip to St. Louis after acquiring winger Nikolai Kovalenko and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the Colorado Avalanche in a trade for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood and forward Givani Smith.
Kovalenko made his Sharks debut in Carolina while Georgiev dressed as the backup goaltender.
–Field Level Media