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Not that it needed confirming, but the Blues are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Even though it was pretty much a certainty weeks ago, when it happened I still felt a little bummed. Today's opponent, the Blue Jackets are also out of the playoff race. I haven't checked my math, but I believe that happened sometime in December. As a result, there are several folks out there that would claim that this is a meaningless game between two losers. I disagree, but I can see why they'd say that. Here's a meaning-less tune about losers:
The Enemy: The Blues have played these schmucks 5 times already, so I'd hope you'd have a good handle on them by now. Here's the important bit - somehow, they've managed to get 1 point ahead of us in the standings. A regulation win tonight, and the Blues leapfrog them, and into a tie for 11th with Minnesota. If nothing else, that should be worth playing for, right? Just to finish ahead of these Jackoffs, er, Jackets. Notable absences tonight will be D-man Jan Hejda (suspension), and G Steve Mason. CBJ franchise player Rick Nash missed the last game, and is considered day-to-day with a groin issue. The BJs have taken their last three games into OT, losing two. The Blues should beat them in 60 minutes, just to give them a change of pace.
Local Idiot and DoucheCanoe R.J. Umberger has a recent quote that seems to slam the fanbase:
"I’m getting tired of it, quite frankly," Umberger said about the influx of fans from Chicago (and Detroit, and Pittsburgh, and . . .) "This is our home ice. I’m sick of seeing it filled with other teams (jerseys). It’s our home ice. I want to see it represented with our fans."
That'll sell some jerseys and some seats, eh RJ?
Further Reading:
Blues vs Blue Jackets coverage
Early game today, the puck drops at 4:00 PM St Louis time. Furthermore, there are some wacky broadcast shenanigans going on, since the almighty Cardinals are playing again.
TV NOTES:
On Sunday, April 3, FOX Sports Midwest will televise the Blues game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 4 p.m. The game will be shown on FOX Sports Midwest main channel and on secondary channels.
If the Cardinals game runs late, fans can tune into the secondary channel (numbers listed below). The Blues game will then be joined in progress on the main channel after the Cardinals game.
The full press release with details HERE
RADIO NOTES:
From the same release:
In addition, Sunday's game will be broadcast on Y98 FM (98.1). The game will be joined in progress on KMOX 1120 AM after the Cardinals game is completed.
So, yeah....
The GDT should be along shortly before puck drop. Until then, gather here, get your TV/Radio feeds adjusted properly, curse the BJs one last time, and consider this as a new hobby during the offseason
Badminton Lightsaber Match (via MeatheadMaster)
LGB!!!
-CrossCheckRaise