Jaden Schwartz played his first game since mid-February last night, and judging from the Blues’ improved performance, they missed him. A lot.
The Blues outshot the Sharks 34-31, and they came out of the gate shooting. Even without scoring a goal in the first period, the increased pressure on Martin Jones was evident. The focus that the team showed extended from just their focus on the net - they absolutely dominated the faceoff circle as well, 62% to 38%.
The game felt different, especially compared to Wednesday night’s apathetic loss to the Kings. A win is a win, no matter how dominant - and this wasn’t a dominant win.