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Blues try to stay hot against Blue Jackets

Oct 25, 2007 - 2:28 PM St Louis (5-2-0) at Columbus (4-3-1) 7:00 pm EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Blues will try to continue their solid play on Thursday when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blues are coming off a 4-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday - their fifth win in six games after dropping the season opener to the Minnesota Wild on October 4. Paul Kariya solidified the win with his third period goal and also added three assists during the contest.

Kariya, who was signed by the Blues after playing for the Nashville Predators last season, has two goals and 11 helpers in seven games this season after registering 72 points during the 2006-07 campaign.

While Kariya has helped his team score, Rick Nash has led the offense for the Blue Jackets.

Nash extended his goal-scoring streak to four on Tuesday night, notching two tallies and an assist as Columbus routed the Chicago Blackhawks, 7-4. The 23-year-old left wing has scored five goals and three assists in his last four games.

Pascal Leclaire has been playing just as well as Nash, but from the back of the ice. The 25-year-old netminder is 3-2-0 this season with a 1.61 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. Leclaire also leads the NHL in shutouts, posting three in his first four games this season.