Blues And Blue Jackets...Back To Back

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 The Blues battle Columbus this weekend in a set of games on back-to-back nights, starting Saturday, 7:30, at Scottrade Center. The Note is about to embark in its 18th of what will be 19 sets of games on back-to-back nights this season. Andy Murray's team has split 14 of the previous 17 sets. They have also swept one and have been swept in two others. Nine of the 14 splits have seen the Blues lose the first game before rebounding to win the next night.

 The Note has won two of the first three games against Columbus in this season's series. The two teams will play three more times before the regular season ends as the 'Jackets return to St. Louis on April 10th following this weekend's action.

  Andy Murray's team is currently one point behind Anaheim and Nashville for the final two playoff spots in the West. I've projected that the Blues must finish with 90 points to make the playoffs for the first time in five years. They currently have 79 points. Columbus, conversely, has 85 and has owned the sixth position in the West standings for weeks.  The Blue Jackets are trying to make the post season for the first time in their nine-year existance.

  The Blues are playing their Central Division rivals from Ohio six times this season, instead of eight, due to the newly balanced schedule in the NHL. I use the word rivalry, not loosely, as one has definitely developed between the two teams. Expect physicality which has been part of the first three meetings this season. David Backes delivered a hit to Kristian Huselius that resulted in a game misconduct back in January during the first matchup. Trickle-down agression has been witnessed in the other two affairs since. Add playoff implications and you just might have a rivalry with a capital "R".