St. Louis Blues Playoff Clinch Will Be Hard In The Garden

The St. Louis Blues are all but in the NHL playoffs. However, needing to get that clinching win in Madison Square Garden may prove difficult.

The St. Louis Blues are in the 2019 NHL playoffs. They could have clinched without even playing if certain results went the way they needed to. Those results just did not go that way, so the Blues are still without an x next to their name.

However, we all know they are getting in. If they win one more game, they are pretty much assured of playing in the postseason. The remaining games in the 2018-19 season are pretty much just to figure out where the Blues will finish.

St. Louis still has a chance to finish first in the Central Division. They go into their final six games just four points behind the Winnipeg Jets. They trail second-place Nashville by only two points with a game in hand. So, every point and every win is still very important.

Clinching a playoff spot is quite realistic this evening. The one thing standing in the Blues way is playing in Madison Square Garden.

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The Garden has not been overly kind to St. Louis in recent history. It is a small sample size, but the Blues are 1-2-0 in their last three meetings in New York.

The issue is not really the record, but how they have played. The Blues have been blown out in those two losses.

St. Louis’ lone win came last season. They won that one 3-1.

2016-17 saw the Blues get destroyed 5-0. The year prior to that, the Blues got outmuscled by a final of 6-3.

It seems when the defense is bad in The Garden, it is very bad. When it’s good, it’s good.

Fortunately, not all history is against the Blues. They have a 5-2 record against the Rangers in their home barn this decade.

Overall, it is not a pretty picture. St. Louis 15-50-6 on the Rangers home ice.

Also not helping the Blues coming into this east coast swing is the fact that both the Rangers and New Jersey Devils are under .500.

Prior to this last four game home stand for the Blues, they were only one game above .500 against teams under them in the standings. Now, the team must prove they are over that and take care of business.

Helping the Blues is their record against the other conference. The Blues have dominated the Eastern Conference over the last few years. This season, only Nashville has managed as good a record against the eastern teams, so they have that going for them, which is nice.

It all comes down to the Blues. If both teams play their best, the Blues skate out with a win and likely an official playoff berth.

If the Blues take them lightly, as they have a habit of doing against lower level teams, it will be more difficult.