Former Predator Paul Kariya leads his new team, the St. Louis Blues, into Nashville on Saturday night in what should be a very exciting game. The Preds have bounced back after a rough first month, and have surged all the way into second place in the Central Division (behind the league-leading Red Wings). And the young Blues, riding the hot goaltending of Manny Legace, are only six points behind Nashville with three games in hand. Check out this important division match-up in brilliant 1080i on HDNet, live at 8:00 pm ET.

Blues to Watch

It'll be a homecoming of sorts for Paul Kariya, who played the last two seasons in Nashville before signing with the Blues last summer. And Kariya's hoping that he'll have the same type of impact in St. Louis as he did in Nashville, where he helped the Preds emerge as a bona fide Cup contender. This season, Kariya is leading the Blues in scoring with 50 points in 56 games (including 35 assists), and has helped linemate Brad Boyes get off to a sensational start. Playing alongside Kariya and Keith Tkachuk, Boyes has scored 30 goals in 56 games to lead the Blues.

Young Jay McClement has stepped his play up dramatically in recent weeks, scoring five points in his last five games (to go along with a stellar plus-six rating). The Blues' second round pick in 2001, McClement is starting to emerge as a consistent scoring threat. If he's able to continue his recent trend of productivity, it'll go a long way towards helping the Blues reach the postseason. For much of this year, they've been a one-line team, relying far too heavily on Kariya, Tkachuk, and Boyes, and they need more balanced productivity if they're to capture a playoff spot in the highly competitive Western Conference.

Rookie Erik Johnson is one of the most exciting young players in the game, a huge (6'4", 222 pounds) rearguard with the ability to impact games in many different ways. He boasts tremendous offensive skill, and he's already stepped up as a key power play contributor (18 points in 43 games), no easy feat for an NHL freshman. And in addition to his top-end puckmoving ability, Johnson is unafraid to use his considerable size to make life miserable for opposing forwards who dare traverse into the Blues' zone. His style is not dissimilar to that of a young Rob Blake, and Johnson is quickly making good on the enormous promise that convinced the Blues to choose him with the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Former journeyman Manny Legace has played at an All-Star level for the Blues, and has been a key reason why they're a playoff contender this season. He's posted solid numbers (.913 SV%, 2.29 GAA, 21-15-5 record) across the board, and provides a valuable safety net for the young Blues skaters. On Thursday night, he stopped 39 of 40 shots to help the Blues to a key 4-1 victory over the Avalanche in Colorado.

Predators to Watch

The Preds lost some key players last summer, most notably team captain Kimmo Timonen, power forward Scott Hartnell, and of course, Kariya. But last season's supporting cast has stepped up in a big way, rebounding after a rough first month to lead the Preds back into playoff contention. First and foremost in the resurgence has been power center Jason Arnott, the team's leading scorer (53 points in 57 games) and also their plus-minus leader (plus-20). Arnott's rocket-like shot is a key weapon on the Preds' power play (he's lit the lamp 10 times with the man advantage), and he's finally developed into a consistent scoring threat after years of streaky, inconsistent play.

Winger JP Dumont won't be leaving Nashville anytime soon. He signed a four-year, $16 million contract extension earlier this month, and will be looking to prove in the coming months that the Preds were wise to commit to him for the long-term. Dumont is the team's second-leading scorer (53 points in 59 games), tied with Arnott but having played in two more games, and his crafty style meshes well with Arnott's, in particular on the power play.

Sophomore Alexander Radulov scored a Sidney Crosby-like 152 points in 62 games for the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts in the 2005-06 season, and though he hasn't lit the lamp with a Crosby-like regularity at the NHL level, he is without question one of the Preds' most important offensive contributors. With 23 goals in 59 games, he's Nashville's leading goal scorer, and the hard-working Russian forward will likely continue to progress over the coming seasons. His combination of hockey smarts, puckhandling skills, top-end speed, and finishing ability make him perhaps the most exciting Predator to watch.

On the blue line, veteran Marek Zidlicky has done an excellent job taking over for Timonen. Running the point on the Preds' power play, he has scored a team-leading 19 man advantage points, and with 32 points through 57 games, has rebounded from a fairly disappointing 2006-07 season (30 points in 79 games). A speedy skater with a deceptive shot from the point, the Czech rearguard's style is quite similar to that of the Stars' Sergei Zubov and the Red Wings' Brian Rafalski.

The biggest question mark for Nashville is in goal, where an inconsistent Chris Mason (17-18-4, .904 SV%, 2.77 GAA) has surprisingly found himself pushed by Dan Ellis for the starting job. Mason surrendered three goals on seven shots against the Blackhawks on Thursday night (the Preds lost 6-1), and he'll need to be far better down the stretch and in the postseason if the Preds are to win a playoff round for the first time in franchise history. Meanwhile, Ellis (13-5-2, .921 SV%, 2.31 GAA) has been the better option thus far, and it's quite possible that head coach Barry Trotz will give him the starting job if Mason's struggles continue.

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