Blues at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to dig themselves out a deep early hole and will go after their season-high third consecutive victory when the St. Louis Blues pay a visit Tuesday. The Blue Jackets defeated Arizona 5-2 on Saturday for their first home victory of the season and improved to 6-5-0 since coach John Tortorella took over.
Veteran forward Scott Hartnell has taken a leading role for Columbus while posting three goals and two assists during a four-game point streak. The Blue Jackets will attempt to match last season’s success against the Blues, when they outscored them 11-3 in two victories. St. Louis received two goals from captain David Backes on Monday in a 3-2 victory over Winnipeg and has won the second game of both back-to-backs this season. Vladimir Tarasenko added a goal and an assist in the victory over the Jets, which ended a two-game slide, and has put up five points in the last three contests and 18 overall.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE BLUES (12-5-1): Backes, who also had an assist Monday, moved to a line with Tarasenko and Alexander Steen and ended a four-game point drought while center Jori Lehtera played with Troy Brouwer and Dmitrij Jaskin. “We want to just see if we can build a little different type of energy with the same players,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before the Jets win. Jake Allen won for the seventh time in nine decisions Monday, but Hitchcock would not reveal if Allen or Brian Elliott would play in Columbus.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (6-12): A big part of the turnaround for Columbus is on special teams, including 7-for-19 on the power play in November and 14-for-14 on the penalty kill the past three games. “We’re more aggressive,” Tortorella told reporters on the penalty kill, which has wiped out 15 straight overall. “I think our anticipation skills are really good. We’re moving together as far as our aggression in the end zone.” Boone Jenner, who is second on the team with 13 points behind only Hartnell (14), has five in the last three games.
OVERTIME
1. With C Brandon Dubinsky (elbow) out a couple of weeks, the Blue Jackets recalled LW Kerby Rychel and he played his second game of the season Saturday.
2. St. Louis D Colton Parayko has registered five points in the last six games while boasting a plus-5 rating in that span.
3. Columbus RW Jared Boll, who has 1,152 career penalty minutes, is expected to play his 500th NHL game Tuesday.