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Blues visit Preds for Central Division clash

Nov 24, 2010 - 4:25 PM (Sports Network) - The St. Louis Blues seek a third straight victory this evening when they battle the Central Division-rival Nashville Predators for the fourth time already this season.

The Blues come to Bridgestone Arena also looking to snap a four-game road skid. After halting a string of five straight losses overall with Friday's home victory over Ottawa, St. Louis made it two in a row the following night with a 3-2 victory over visiting New Jersey.

Jaroslav Halak recovered from allowing a goal on the first shot he faced to make 35 saves, snapping a personal four-game slide and keeping St. Louis without a regulation loss at home this year (8-0-1). Halak had allowed 19 goals over his losing streak.

Alex Pietrangelo, Eric Brewer and Brad Winchester all scored for the Blues, who are 3-5-2 on the road this season. Brad Boyes added an assist to give him four goals and three helpers on five-game point streak, one off his career best.

"I thought tonight was just a matter of finding a way," said Blues head coach Davis Payne. "We really didn't have the jump that was necessary, and we made some mental errors. There was lots of try, lots of intent, which was something we talk about at great length."

St. Louis could get a boost at the blue line tonight if Barret Jackman is able to return from a sprained right knee suffered back on Nov. 4. Jackman has missed the last nine games, but was able to practice on Monday.

"[Jackman] is a leader and to be this close and anticipating his return here shortly is good," Payne told his club's website. "It's good for our PK, it's good for our defensive group. It's good for that defensive intent, that defensive attitude."

Jackman will hope he can help his club earn a split of four meetings so far this year with the Predators. Each team picked up a victory in Nashville in October before the Preds' 3-2 shootout victory in St. Louis on Nov. 11. Nashville has won six of seven and eight of the last 10 meetings and St. Louis' 3-0 win at Nashville on Oct. 28 snapped a three-game slide at Bridgestone Arena.

Halak has been in net for all three games, going 1-1-1 with a 1.96 goals- against average. Boyes, meanwhile, has 10 goals and 16 points in 25 games when facing the Predators.

After playing nine of their last 10 on the road, the Predators will be at home for three of their next four and are 3-1-3 as the host this year. They wrapped a four-game road trip on Monday at .500 due to a 2-0 setback in Columbus.

The Blue Jackets' Steve Mason halted all 27 shots faced, while Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne made 28 saves for Nashville, which had won two straight and four of five.

"Once they got that first goal they had a lot of people back and you have to get pucks behind them and then they have to retrieve them and then they have to make something happen," Nashville head coach Barry Trotz said. "And they didn't allow that, they played really well."

Rinne is 8-3-1 with a 2.20 GAA in his career versus the Blues, splitting two games this year while stopping 52-of-57 shots faced.

Both David Legwand and Ryan Suter are questionable due to lower-body injuries for Nashville.