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Mason, Blue Jackets look to bounce back vs. Blues

Feb 18, 2009 - 11:32 AM St. Louis (24-25-7) at Columbus (28-23-6), 7:00 p.m. EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets' shoddy power play is costing them games. Considering how tight the Western Conference is, it could spell their fate at the end of the regular season.

Looking to bounce back from a deflating loss to a conference foe, the Blue Jackets look to improve their special teams when hosting the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

Columbus, which possesses the worst power play in the NHL (30-for-242, 12.4 percent), was 1-for-6 on the man advantage in its 3-2 shootout setback to the Dallas Stars on Monday.

The Blue Jackets are tied with Edmonton for the eighth and final spot in the West with 62 points.

Prior to that loss, Columbus posted a four-game winning streak, which was highlighted by the return of rookie goaltender Steve Mason, who missed three games while suffering from mononucleosis.

Strong defensive play has certainly negated Columbus' struggles with the man advantage as it has surrendered seven tallies combined over the past five contests.

Meanwhile, St. Louis is aiming to notch its third straight victory and will likely count on netminder Chris Mason to shine in his 13th consecutive start.

The Blues, who are coming off a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers, have yielded one goal in their last 120 minutes, 3 seconds of play.