Tarasenko held pointless for 5th straight game

Vladimir Tarasenko's dynamic scoring punch has completely disappeared in the Western Conference Final.

The St. Louis Blues sniper was held without a point for the fifth consecutive game in Monday night's Game 5 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Tarasenko managed only one shot on goal in nearly 19 minutes of ice time during the 6-3 defeat that gave the Sharks a 3-2 series lead.

He's been neutralized by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and the Sharks' defense.

Tarasenko recorded only two shots on goal during his 20 minutes on the ice in the Blues' 6-3 victory in Game 4.

"He's struggled this series," head coach Ken Hitchcock said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford. "He's struggled offensively, he hasn't gotten the looks offensively he normally gets.

"He's one shift away from breaking it open. It's like any other goal scorer, when they don't score, there's a frustration level that comes in, and it's my job to make sure and correct the frustration level if I can."

The 24-year-old has gone ice cold since piling up 13 points in 14 games over the first two playoff rounds against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars.

Tarasenko led the Blues with 40 goals and 74 points in the regular season, and he was on a historic point-per-game pace early in the playoffs.

Now, St. Louis is on the brink of elimination, and its brightest star looks lost.