W2W4: San Jose Sharks at St. Louis Blues, Game 2

2:29 PM ET

ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Blues will attempt to win the first two games of a playoff series for the first time this postseason when they take on the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday at 8 p.m. in St. Louis. Here’s what to watch for as the Sharks work for a split on the road:

• Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko missed the morning skate for the birth of his son. Dmitrij Jaskin skated in his place on a line with Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. Tarasenko’s wife, Yana, gave birth to Aleksandr, on Tuesday morning, but St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock fully expects that Tarasenko will play in Game 2.

“He’s pretty excited,” said Hitchcock, who added that the team would fully support Tarasenko missing the game if he needed to. “Our assumption is that he’ll be here ready for game.”

Tarasenko did not score a goal in Game 1, but the longest stretch he’s gone in this postseason without one was three games that spanned the Chicago and Dallas series.

• The Sharks’ top line, with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, was dominant in Game 1 and the Blues have talked a lot about doing a better job of slowing that line down in Game 2. One area of focus will be exiting the defensive …

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