In some respects, Thursday's clash between the Metropolitan Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins and the team with the best points percentage in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets, is the first game on the season schedule with a heightened degree of importance.

The sides, who have developed a mutual distaste for one another since their venomous postseason clash a few springs back, each arrive at their first head-to-head matchup of the season on an absolute tear. Neither have a regulation loss in their last 10 games.

You would expect the Blue Jackets - objectively great so far, but, in the eyes of probably most, still considered a rung below the Penguins in terms of title contention - to treat this as a proving ground.

But you would be mistaken.

"It has nothing to do with that," Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella told Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch. "It's another game that's on the schedule and we are approaching it as we have all year long."

He added: "I need to worry about a team (which is) about to play its next game which is Game 31 in the regular season and that's all I care about."

Tortorella's stance was echoed by his players.

"We don't have measure-stick games on this team," Brandon Dubinsky said. "We measure our play within ourselves and within our locker room."

Still, there will be more eyeballs fixated on the Blue Jackets, who have almost unbelievably been the most dominant team in the NHL through 10 weeks. They can make a statement, intentional or otherwise.

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