Blues at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets' playoff chances are hanging by the thinnest of threads - and an encounter with the hottest team in the league won't help matters. The Blue Jackets look to end a three-game skid Friday night as they entertain a St. Louis Blues team that has reeled off seven consecutive wins. Columbus finds itself near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, and is coming off a dismal 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Coyotes.
The Blues not only have one of the top records in the NHL - they also have recent bragging rights against Friday's opponent. St. Louis won a pair of meetings with the Blue Jackets three weeks apart last season, rallying from two-goal deficits in both games to improve to 5-1-0 in their last six head-to-head encounters. St. Louis received 23 saves from Jake Allen and yet another goal from Vladimir Tarasenko in a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Midwest (St. Louis), Fox Sports Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE BLUES (34-13-4): Tarasenko is living up to the hype that prompted the Blues to make him the 16th overall pick in the 2010 entry draft. The 23-year-old has been sensational for St. Louis in his third NHL season, racking up a team-high 27 goals - including three in his last three games - while emerging as one of the top young all-around forwards in hockey. Thursday's contest represented a much-needed easy victory for the Blues, who had won each of their previous three games by a goal - with three going to extra time.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (21-25-3): Things may look bleak in Columbus, but the Blue Jackets are about to embark on a generous stretch of games that will ultimately decide if they have any chance of reaching the playoffs. Columbus will play 13 of its next 15 games against teams from its own conference, including nine against Metropolitan Division foes. "I'm excited in the sense that we have that huge run against those teams," forward Nick Foligno said. "That's the best way to move up, by beating those teams."
OVERTIME
1. Columbus has lost four straight home games against teams with winning road records.
2. Tarasenko has three goals and two assists in five career games against the Blue Jackets.
3. St. Louis enters with the league's top goal differential at plus-44.