Jaroslav Halak tossed his third shutout in four games Thursday night, vaulting the Blues into a tie for first place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. The well-rested Blues won their fifth in a row as they've taken advantage of a schedule that's had them play just 10 games. The schedule gets more compact starting Saturday, with a stretch of seven games in 12 days, including six on the road. We'll get to see if their defense -- minus Roman Polak (wrist) and Carlo Colaiacovo (concussion) -- can hold up. Alex Pietrangelo, Nathan Oystrick and Tyson Strachan -- 127 games of NHL experience combined -- are being forced into major roles. Defense and goaltending have carried the way for the Blues, who are getting very little offense from the players they need to sustain their early success. Other than David Perron, who deposited his fifth goal Thursday, none of the top six forwards are giving the Blues consistent chances, never mind scoring. David Backes, Andy McDonald, T.J. Oshie, Alex Steen and Brad Boyes have scored a combined six goals in 10 games. And the power play looked absolutely awful against the Sharks, going 0-for-7 and giving up several shorthanded chances in the first period. Coach Davis Payne switched up his first unit power play in the second period, a move which generated more shots, but still no scoring. And they're running into the one goalie playing better than their own -- Tim Thomas. He sports a ridiculous .977 save percentage and .72 GAA while posting three shutouts (just like Halak). Taking advantage, when you're on the man advantage, is critical against a hot goalie.

But why dwell on the negative. At 7-1-2, the Blues are off to their second best start in franchise history. Put those wins in the bank and head to Boston.