The Blues finish another home-and-home set tonight in Ohio. I was at the Monday game, and was so thankful that the Blues showed up, too. Although there was a stretch in the 2nd period where they started to slack off, they were able to recover their game. There are plenty of motivations for the individual players to keep at it, full tilt, every game, through the end of the season. Some are playing for next year's roster, or their next contract. Some still have something to prove to their teammates -or possibly to themselves. On a base level, there's always this: Losing Sucks.
Even if the playoffs are just a mirage at this point, the Blues still have a role to play in the greater playoff picture. Namely, as a spoiler. The Blue Balls Jackets are trying to fight their way to the 8th spot, and tonight's game will either help or hurt that cause. If the Blues can continue to play strong together, there's no reason that they can't wreak havoc in the standings as a
Tip of the hat/ tap of the stick to Tomorrows Blues for the song selection.
The Enemy: The BJs, as is appropriate for the name, still suck. Aside from Nash, there's not a lot to write about. The most noteworthy factor for C-Bus is the emergence of youth (a familiar note, no?). Third-year player Jakub Voracek (1st rd pick in 2007) is third in points (44) and leads the team in assists (31). Derrick Brassard (1st rd pick in 2006) is next on the points list with 39, despite being on IR since 02/17. Both teams will start different goalies; The Blue Jackoffs will send out Mathieu Garon, the backup-with-better-numbers (2.55 / .910). The Blues will not find him as easy to score on as Steve Mason.
Further Reading:
Blues vs Blue Jackets coverage
The game is in the Eastern Time Zone, so its an early one: puck drops at 6PM St Louis time. Not only is it the return of the Mack Halak, but also the return of HD. No more alt channels, we're back to FSMW for TV, and KMOX 1120AM for radio. The GDT should be along beforehand, but until then, this is your pregame warm-up. Take this opportunity to bitch once again about injuries (Patrik Berglund and T.J. Hensick traveled with the team but are considered questionable), bitch about early starts, and check out this bitchin' goal by our old friend Lars Eller:
LGB!!!
-CrossCheckRaise