Game Notes For Thursday vs. Columbus

* The Blue Jackets dropped a 4-1 decision in St. Louis on Tuesday, snapping their season-high tying 3-game winning streak in the process. Columbus had a season-high 38 penalty minutes against St. Louis Tuesday - its highest total since recording a 64-PIM game vs. Calgary last season on March 26.
* Chicago lost, 3-1, to Anaheim in its last skate on Sunday and has now dropped two straight games overall. The last time the Blackhawks had a losing streak of three games or more was during a 5-game skid March 13-20 last season.
* Including a 4-3 shootout win by the Blackhawks in these clubs' first meeting of the season, (December 1^st), each of the last four contests between Columbus and Chicago has been decided either in overtime or via shootout (each team has won two of those games).
* Kris Versteeg has scored a point in three straight games vs. the Blue Jackets (2g, 1a) and with an assist vs. Anaheim on Sunday, is currently riding an 8-game point streak overall (3g, 6a during streak).
* Chicago owns the league's best home record in 2009-10 at 20-5-1 (.788). Tonight's contest will be the Blackhawks 27^th home game of the season - tying them with Ottawa for most in the league.
* Rick Nash dropped the gloves for the first time this season on Tuesday (David Backes) and was assessed a fighting major for just the fourth time in his NHL career. The last time Nash received a fighting major was on 11/14/07 when he mixed it up with former Blackhawk blueliner Jim Vandermeer.