After not being able to gain a point against the San Jose Sharks in their previous game, this has now become a do-or-die game for the St. Louis Blues. Their road trip continues throughout the West coast, with the Los Angeles Kings as their next opponent in front of them in the wildcard race.
Currently at 31-31-11 for 73 points, the Blues are still only four points back of the second wildcard spot, which is held by Nashville at 77 points. The Kings are right behind Nashville with 76 points, so this game is equally as important for them to pick up the two points.
Let's go over which three Blues are going to be most important in this very important matchup.
Jimmy Snuggerud
Still on the doorstep of hitting the 40-point club as a rookie, Jimmy Snuggerud has had some success against the Kings this season. In the last meeting between these two franchises, on January 24, No. 21 had an assist in the shootout loss. With the wildcard standings in such a heated race, the Blues need Snuggerud to heat back up again as the season closes out.
Philip Broberg
Broberg is showing off with a five-game point streak. It is no question that he is the future first defenseman of this Blues future, and right now, he is proving it. As each game continues to pass toward the potential playoffs, No. 6's importance is more and more apparent.
Logan Mailloux
After one of his worst games in this recent stretch of stellar play, defenseman Logan Mailloux is looking for a bounceback performance. He deflected pucks into the net, was caught out of position and overally overpowered for much of the 5-4 loss against the Sharks. Can No. 23 get back on his hotstreak, and get this Blues team into the playoffs?