Preview: Blues at Blue Jackets

When: Friday, Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
Watch: Bally Sports, Bally Sports app
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App

TEAM SNAPSHOTS

BLUES Though the lead changed three times in the first two periods, the St. Louis Blues were unable to hang on as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights pulled away to win 6-3 at Enterprise Center.

Jake Neighbours added his team-leading 10th goal of the season, reaching double digits for the first time in his young career. Kevin Hayes and Jordan Kyrou also scored, giving the Blues a 3-1 lead after the first period. Four goals in the second from Vegas - including three in a 2:36 span - flipped the momentum away from the Blues' favor.

Vegas' eight power plays - a single-game record for the young Golden Knights franchise - made the Blues' comeback efforts difficult. 18 of the Golden Knights' 49 shots on goal came on the power play, including 10 across four power plays in the first 12 minutes of the third period.

"We took too many penalties in the game - I think that was one of the biggest problems," said Craig Berube. "It was hard, a lot of killing burnt out a lot of guys tonight."

The Blues will look to clean up their penalties this weekend, traveling to Columbus and Chicago for a road back-to-back. After Saturday's matchup with the Blackhawks, the Blues will play six of their next eight games on home ice.

They'll visit the struggling Blue Jackets with a record of 13-11-1, worth 27 points and fifth in the Central Division.

BLUE JACKETS Among the youngest teams in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets have struggled in the win column as they prioritize development and long-term growth. A nine-game (0-7-2) losing streak last month is the primary driver, as outside of that stretch the Blue Jackets have largely played solid hockey.

A tumultuous coaching search this offseason ultimately resulted in Pascal Vincent taking over this young roster, led by veterans Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau. Out of Columbus' Top 7 point scorers this season, only Jenner and Gaudreau are over the age of 27. Defenseman Zach Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in points ahead of Thursday's games, with his 19 assists sharing fifth among all blue liners.

Wins over New Jersey and Boston coming out of the losing streak gives the Blue Jackets some hope going forward, as does the play of Blue Jackets rookies Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov. The two forwards both rank in the Top 10 in rookie scoring this year.

After falling 7-3 on Long Island to open a back-to-back, the Blue Jackets are coming off of three straight losses - the second being an overtime defeat against the Los Angeles Kings. Columbus had a 3-0 lead after two periods, but the Kings fought back for the overtime win at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets host the Blues with a record of 8-15-5, worth 21 points and eighth in the Metropolitan Division.

HEAD TO HEAD The Blues went 2-0-0 last season against Columbus, winning both games 5-2. The Blues are 5-0-0 against the Eastern Conference this season, the only perfect record in the West.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Jordan Kyrou, who scored his second career hat trick in Columbus last season. Kyrou scored his fifth goal of the season on Wednesday night in highlight-reel fashion, up to 17 points this season.

BLUE JACKETS Adam Fantilli, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old forward shares second in rookie scoring with seven goals and eight assists for 15 total points this year.

BLUE NOTES

• Wednesday night's 6-3 loss was just the second game the Blues lost when scoring at least three goals, now 10-2-0 in such games this season
• The Blues are 30-for-34 (88.2%) on the penalty kill in road games this season, the third best mark in the NHL. Their five shorthanded goals in road games leads the League
• Jordan Kyrou has two multi-point games in his last four, posting a goal and an assist on Wednesday night vs. Vegas
• Jake Neighbours and Chicago's Connor Bedard are the only players in the NHL under the age of 22 leading their team in goals this season
• Torey Krug's next assist will be No. 100 as a Blue
• Jordan Binnington is just seven games away from matching Grant Fuhr for No. 4 on the Blues' all-time leaderboard for games played as a goaltender, playing his 242nd with the franchise on Wednesday night.