Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Blues (Game #66) – It’s All About the Two

St. Louis Blues (29-28-9, 67pts) vs.
Columbus Blue Jackets (31-26-8, 70pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
7:00 PM EST
TV: FSN-OH HD / Radio: WBNS 97.1 FM

(Dispatch Preview / SportsDirect Preview)
WFNY Tickets

Forget all of the playoff talk. Forget all of the projections. Forget how many points, wins, and overtime losses the pundits (like myself) have been saying it will take to get into the playoffs. None of that matters anymore, because you can’t get to any of that without getting two points tonight. Tonight’s game is the only one that matters. That’s the attitude these Jackets are going to have to adopt if they plan on making it to the playoffs, as Scott Arniel still seems confident they will. You can’t make plans either way without bringing home two points tonight. That’s the bottom line.

Projected Lineups

Team Rankings
Scoring:
STL – 2.70 gpg (t19th NHL)
CBJ – 2.71 gpg (18th NHL)

Defense:
STL – 2.92 gapg (21st NHL)
CBJ – 2.94 gapg (22nd NHL)

Power Play:
STL – 18.1% (12th NHL)
CBJ – 15.4% (26th NHL)

Penalty Kill:
STL – 81.2% (19th NHL)
CBJ – 80.3% (23rd NHL)

Season Matchups
This is the fifth of six matchups this season:

11/10/10 – St. Louis  1 @ Columbus 8 – recap
12/09/10 – Columbus 1 @ St. Louis 4 – (box) – Highlights
01/22/11 – Columbus 5 @ St. Louis 2 – (box) – Highlights
03/07/11 – Columbus 4 @ St. Louis 5 – SO – (box) – Highlights
03/09/11 – St. Louis @ Columbus – 7:00 PM EST
04/03/11 – St. Louis @ Columbus – 5:00 PM EDT

Who Else We’re Pulling For…
Thanks to the wonderful site Sports Club Stats, we can look at other games going on tonight and see who to root for to aid the Jackets’ playoff push:

New York Rangers at Anahiem Ducks
Los Angeles Kings at Detroit Red Wings
Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars
Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning

Game Notes
The Jackets basically have to ask themselves if they’re going to roll over, or if they still believe they have playoff chances. If it’s the latter, this game is a must-win. St. Louis and Columbus played a sloppy tilt on Monday night with the Blues winning in a shoot-out. But, the real story was that Columbus took a 3-1 lead midway through the first period and had St. Louis on the ropes, only to allow them back into the game with two Power Play goals.

Derick Brassard looks to make his return to action tonight, and if he’s close to 100% his presence should help the Jackets down the middle. He brings one additional playmaker—at the center position, no less—that St. Louis must account for, and pushes a bunch of other guys back into roles they are more accustomed to.

Mathieu Garon looks to be getting the start in goal, as Steve Mason has struggled recently through the five-game road trip. Here’s hoping Garon can bring some of the solid-but-not-spectacular goal-tending, as well as the calming influence, he’s known for.

The Jackets’ special teams have been woeful of late, with just one Power Play goal in their last four. They’ve also struggled on the Penalty Kill, giving up two goals in each of the past two goals while down a man. This from a unit that had been climbing in the standings for almost two months. The Jackets need to right these two ships if they are to have any hope of getting back into the race, and tonight is as good a time to start as any.

Finally, and not to make it sound too simple, they have to get back to what they were doing. Skating. Forechecking. Crisp passes. Physical, tight checking defense. Limiting chances for their opponent. Cashing in on the Power Play. This is what the Jackets did for six weeks in late January and through February; it’s what they must get back to. And there’s no more time or games to waste.

From The Outside Looking In
St. Louis Game Time
Bleedin’ Blue
Frozen Notes

Next Game For The Jackets
Friday, March 11, 2011
7:00 PM EST
Los Angeles Kings @ Columbus Blue Jackets