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Posted at 12:45 PM EST.

8:00 PM EST. Regulation only. San Jose is one of the hottest teams in the NHL after a rollercoaster ride of a finish last night at the Madhouse on Madison. The Sharks blew a late third-period lead to the Blackhawks but managed to win the game in the fourth round of the shootout to seal the deal. With the W, the Sharks now have a bit of breathing room in the Western Conference playoff race. According to http://SportsClubStats.com , San Jose is 99.9% to make the playoffs so we're going to go out on a limb and call it a wrap. The Sharkies have played a ton of hockey as of late with 11 games in the last 22 days. San Jose has played four of its last seven games on the road including the always brutal winter run through Western Canada. After eight straight wins, the Sharkies stock is very high but playing with high intensity and running at an every other night clip for over three weeks has to be taxing. This might be and looks like the spot San Jose takes the opportunity to exhale.

When Jake Allen was in the midst of his seemingly now annual mid-season slump, the Blues were written off by many in the market. However, the rise of Carter Hutton, who, statistically speaking has been one of the league's top goaltenders this season kept his team afloat until a neck injury stopped his momentum 9-games ago. Forced to turn back to the Jekyll and Hyde-like Allen, the Blues have gone 7-2, and they are playing some of their best hockey of the season. Since March 8th, which was the first night Allen was back between the pipes, the Blues are sixth in the NHL in 5v5 Corsi For %. St. Louis has quietly won five straight and are trending in the right direction when it comes to locking up a Wild Card playoff spot (their chances are now at 71%). This is a dangerous and desperate squad, which could add up to a rough night for a San Jose side that could be spent. Even if Sharkies bring their A-game, the Blues can go stride for stride with them and are still a big time threat to win this game. We’re betting the Sharkies are completely drained here while the Blues figure to be the opposite.

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