Blue Jackets hope to leave St Louis with the Blues tonight

The Blue Jackets face their first back-to-back start of the season, as they are in St Louis to take on the Blues tonight. They will have to get up for a road game against a tough Central Division foe, just 24 hours after an exciting shootout win at home.

The 5 days off between game days seemed to be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Jackets. They dominated the Penguins last night, out-shooting them 47-22 on the night. This was one night where the score was certainly not indicative of the game.

Per MoneyPuck.com, the expected outcome of this game would have been somewhere around 5-3, based on the scoring chances either way. I thought the Jackets played easily their best game in recent memory, and a lot of that was thanks to the return of Damon Severson.

Sevo was named the game's first star, scoring the opening goal and adding an assist while playing more than 22 minutes. He helped balance out the entire lineup, and drove the play into Pittsburgh's end whenever he was on the ice.

Meanwhile, Cam Talbot stood strong in his CBJ debut, making 20 saves and stopping all three Penguins chances in the shootout. The Jackets rallied around their reinforcements and found a way to get it done. That's what good teams do. Fingers crossed.

Tonight, they get a different test, against a St Louis Blues team that has stumbled out of the gate a little bit. They are 1-2-1, with 4 points in three games and a -4 team goal differential. They most recently played on Thursday, losing to the San Jose Sharks by a 3-2 score in overtime.

Lets take a look at our three keys to success as the Jackets face their first road test of the season tonight.

Bear down any bury chances.

Give credit where it's due: the goaltender on the other side was really good last night. But, I didn't think the Jackets made his life difficult enough at times. There were some open shots with no traffic, and they didn't do enough to generate rebounds; especially on the man advantage.

That's why their inflated shot total can only be taken with a grain of salt. I would like to see them get better inside position and find at least one greasy goal tonight. Especially with the goaltender they're facing: he has been known to get rattled from time to time. Make his life difficult.

Second line + secondary scoring = wins?

We're three games into the season, and the second line of the Blue Jackets has combined for three points. I thought they looked dangerous at times last night, but will point back to my point above. It feels like there is more to take here, they just need to work for it.

When you look at the sheer size of this trio, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to chip in some more offense. They have the skill, and Sean Monahan (6'2", 200 pounds) is the little guy on this line. These guys all play the same way, so the formula should be really simple: get to the front of the net and battle for pucks.

Both of this team's wins so far this season came on nights where the third line showed up and showed out. The top line is going to have its moments, but getting that secondary output is vital. At some point, that needs to come from this second line. Why not start tonight?

Need Jet to take off early.

Starting the second half of a back-to-back is never easy for a goaltender. Tonight, that duty falls onto the shoulders of their starter. They are going to need Jet Greaves to show up early in this one, and make some big saves down the stretch as well.

Good news: he's been solid against the Blues historically. Really solid.

Lineup wise, it sounds like there will be some game-time decisions. That's the be expected on the second half of a back-to-back. Per Rick Bowness, all 22 skaters will take part in warmups, so everyone is ready to go. We'll have to wait and see who comes out at the start of this one.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 Eastern time from St Louis. Let's go Jackets!

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