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NHL on NBCSN: Tales of perfection -- Sharks, Blues collide

Tomas Hertl

Tomas Hertl #48 of the San Jose Sharks in aciton during the preseason NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on September 27, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Sharks 2-1. (September 26, 2013 - Source: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

NBCSN continues its coverage of the 2013-14 campaign tonight when the St. Louis Blues host the San Jose Sharks at the Scottrade Center at 8:00 p.m. ET. In addition to NBCSN, you can also watch the game online.

There have been some teams that have shocked the hockey world with their hot starts. The St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks aren’t two of them. The fact that they’re a combined 9-0-0 going into tonight’s match is both impressive and noteworthy, but these are two teams that were highly regarded even before the season began.

If the Blues could be summed up in one word, it would be balanced. They don’t have the best offense in the league, but they have a variety of different scoring threats to go along with a skilled and deep defense. Last season their goaltending was an area of some concern because of Jaroslav Halak’s injury problems, but he’s healthy now and off to a superb start with a 1.75 GAA and .934 save percentage.

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The Sharks can also count goaltending as a strength with Antti Niemi playing between the pipes most nights. However, their potential edge over the Blues comes from their offense. San Jose’s normal weapons such as Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Thornton are all clicking, but the hockey world hasn’t been fixated on any of them.

That’s because Tomas Hertl has been stealing the show. The 19-year-old has played in just five NHL games, but he’s already scored seven goals and eight points. He was also named the first star of the week, scored a stunning and controversial goal, and was unfortunately also involved in some scary collisions. He should still be find to play tonight, according to CSN Bay Area.

On the other side, St. Louis Blues forward Alexander Steen has been one of the hottest players in the league. He’s never recorded more than 51 points in a single season, but Steen has four goals and eight points over the course of a four-game point streak.

At 4-0-0, this is the best opening the St. Louis Blues have ever enjoyed, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By contrast, the Sharks started off 7-0-0 last season. San Jose also lost its following seven contests, highlighting the fact that this is only the beginning of what should be an interest season for both of these clubs.

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