from Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

These Central Division rivals are good for each other, despite their adversarial relationship.

The surging Blues pushed the Nashville Predators to muscle up for the stretch run. In turn, the retooled Predators raised the competitive bar for the Blues — reminding them they must keep elevating their game.

And elevate they did Tuesday night at Enterprise Center, clawing out a 2-0 victory over Nashville to extend their late-season rush.

Should these teams square off in the playoffs — which is looking increasingly likely — it would be some battle.

This game started with a careful tone, but gradually the play intensified. By the third period things got festive.

“They got some big guys, we got some big guys, too,” Blues forward Zach Sanford said beforehand. “We don’t really like them, they don’t like us. That heaviness and that physicality takes another step up whenever we face off against them.”

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Watch the game highlights below.