Schwartz leads Blues in scoring since his return from IR
Jaden Schwartz might not be 100 percent healthy, but he's been a huge boost to the St. Louis offense since returning from a broken ankle Feb. 12.
The Blues' 23-year-old forward, who broke his ankle in practice in October, has scored at least one point in each of the team's last five games. He now has more points than any other St. Louis skater over the 17 games since his return from injured reserve.
MOST POINTS BY BLUES SKATERS SINCE FEB. 12
| Skater |
Points | Goals, Assists |
| Jaden Schwartz | 17 | 7 goals, 10 assists |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 16 | 8 goals, 8 assists |
| Robby Fabbri | 13 | 5 goals, 8 assists |
| Paul Stastny | 13 | 3 goals, 10 assists |
Schwartz's hot streak and his history against the Sharks over the last two-plus seasons bode well for Schwartz tonight in San Jose.
HIGHEST POINT-PER-GAME AVERAGE VS. SHARKS SINCE 2013-14*
| Skater | Team |
Points per game |
| Jaden Schwartz | St. Louis Blues | 1.80 (2 goals, 7 assists) |
| Kyle Okposo | New York Islanders | 1.67 |
| David Krejci | Boston Bruins | 1.60 |
| John Taveras | New York Islanders |
1.60 |
| Tyler Seguin | Dallas Stars | 1.57 |
| *Minimum five games played |
Look for a close game tonight. Little has separated these two clubs the last 10 times they've played in San Jose.
BLUES VS. SHARKS IN SAN JOSE SINCE 2009-10
| Statistic | Blues | Sharks |
| Wins | 5 | 5 |
| Total goals | 31 | 30 |
| Power-play percentage | 20.0 (7/35) | 25.6 (10/39) |
| Four-plus goal games |
3 | 3 |
The St. Louis Blues don't have much to show for it in terms of the trophy case, but there's no denying their regular-season dominance since Ken Hitchcock took over head coaching duties in November 2011.
The Blues, who are two points behind Dallas, are pushing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the Central Division championship. That's nothing new under Hitchcock; they have finished first or second in the division in each of the last four seasons, tied with the New York Rangers for the NHL's longest active streak.
MOST REGULAR-SEASON WINS SINCE 2011-12
| Team | Wins |
| St. Louis Blues |
223 (223-108-36 record) |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 221 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 217 |
| New York Rangers | 216 |
