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.