NHL Playoffs 2016: Game 4 TV Schedule and Odds for Sharks vs. Blues

The San Jose Sharks are in firm control of the Western Conference Final.

They also have a chance to put a stranglehold on the St. Louis Blues if they repeat the successes of Games 2 and 3 on Saturday. The Sharks have won the last two games by a combined score of 7-0, thanks in part to the outstanding goaltending of Martin Jones and their defense.

It's a must-win situation for the Blues heading into Game 4. A case can be made this series should be 3-0 in favor of the Sharks. Nevertheless, it's 2-1, and St. Louis needs to get its offense going if the Blues want to return to California for a Game 6.

Here's the info you need to know, as well as a slight preview of the game.

Matchup	TV	Time (ET)	Total	Line
St. Louis Blues at San Jose Sharks	NBCSN	7:15 p.m.	5	SJ -149

Blues Goalie Change Is Not the Problem Solver

St. Louis' desperation in this series has reached its boiling point. Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock has benched goaltender Brian Elliott in favor of Jake Allen for Saturday's all-important Game 4, per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.

In the first two rounds of the playoffs, Elliott was St. Louis' best player at times. The Blues are 9-2 this postseason when Elliott posts a save percentage of .900 or better, per Hockey-Reference.com. After two games of San Jose's defense turning into goals at the other end, Elliott is out.

While it makes sense for Hitchcock to go this route, it may not matter. It also won't solve St. Louis' most glaring issue: the inability to score.

The Blues are quickly realizing the Sharks are an entirely different animal defensively than the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars were. Dallas (3.23) and Chicago (2.71), the teams St. Louis eliminated to get to this point, were in the bottom 10 in goals allowed per game during the regular season. San Jose conceded only two goals per game while averaging 3.27 goals scored per game.

The Sharks have thrived by turning their defense into offense, and that was evident in the second-period goal scored by Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi in Game 3. He cancelled out a Blues scoring opportunity with a stick check in the middle of the zone, took a trailing pass from Logan Couture and fired a laser past Elliott to give San Jose a 2-0 lead.

Even Hitchcock thought that goal was the nail in the coffin.

"The second goal was the killer," Hitchcock said, per Bleacher Report's Adrian Dater.

It's also not like the Sharks have dominated the shot column, either. San Jose only put up 16 shots compared to St. Louis' 22 in Game 3, posting 26 shots in Game 2. San Jose's offense has done its job, but not without the stellar play of its defensemen.

Look no further than the goose egg in the points column for Blues superstar Vladimir Tarasenko in this series. This is someone who had 13 points in 14 postseason games entering the Western Conference Final.

A goalie change could well aid St. Louis in the goals-allowed department, but Allen won't be able to help on offense. Heading into Game 4, that's the puzzle St. Louis has yet to solve.