Blues vs. Blue Jackets Preview – 2/23/13

St. Louis – 9-6-2 (3-4-1 Home)

Columbus – 5-10-2 (2-6-0 Away)

Preview:

Blues – A 3-5-2 record, Halak reinjury, and now Vladimir Tarasenko injury has all been a culprit of the month of February. This hasn’t been a great month for the Blues and they definitely need to get back on track. After finally having a few days of relaxing, tonight can be their night.

Halak finally came back from his injury the Blues last game against the Avalanche and played well. With 16.4 seconds left in overtime, Halak let up his first goal of the game and the game winner. Halak showed why he is the number one goalie on the team and will definitely be a reason why this team will move in the right direction.

Blue Jackets – Columbus looks to win their second game in a row. They beat the Red Wings with 25 seconds to go to get the win. Columbus is a young team who has taken a few of the Blues key parts to their rebuilding in John Davidson and Jarmo Kekalainen. They are not that great of a team right now but with those two at the top, look for them to be a face of the division in the next few years.

Their team is filled with many no namers and that is why they are considered one of the worst teams in the league. The Blues can’t afford to lose to this team.

Players to watch:

Blues – Halak needs to dominate in this game. The Blues are back at home where they have not performed well and a great game by Halak will be the difference. Matt D’Agostini returns to the lineup for the injured Vladimir Tarasenko. And keep an eye on Berglund and Stewart who have been hot the past week.

Blue Jackets – One of the few names I know, Vinny Prospal, leads the team with 6 goals and the game winner against the Red Wings. Look for him to get another goal to make it 3 games in a row.

Predictions:

Steve – 4-2 Blues

Ryan – 5-1 Blues