Just a week ago, the St. Louis Blues seemed to be a lock to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team was on a 12-game winning streak and had just passed the Minnesota Wild for the first wild-card spot. A week later, the team is in the midst of a three-game losing streak and back in the second wild-card spot, but luckily for them, they can decide their fate. Win against Utah, and you are in.
Playoff mode seemed to have started right after the Four Nations Face-Off break because they had ground to make up to be in the playoff conversation, but tonight will feel like a playoff game a little bit earlier than expected. The Blues will need their best players to show up if they do not want to wait and see how the rest of the Calgary Flames season plays out. Let us look at which Blues need to be on their A-game if the team wants to lock up their position in the playoffs.
1. Jordan Binnington
Did someone say big game? We have seen time after time that no moment ever gets too big for Jordan Binnington, and these are the moments where he shines the brightest. Since the Four Nations Face-Off tournament, Binnington has been stellar, posting a 12-3-1 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. In his last two games, Binnington has tailed off a bit, posting a 3.42 goals-against average and .830 save percentage, but if the team wants to secure a spot in the playoffs, they need him to have a vintage performance.
2. Brayden Schenn
In the big moments, you need your captain to lead by example. The Blues need Brayden Schenn to have a good game tonight against the Utah Hockey Club. Schenn's production this season started slow, but that seemed to change when they shifted Jordan Kyrou and Dylan Holloway onto his line. When that line was together, it became one of the most productive lines in the entire NHL. However, with Holloway done for the rest of the regular season, Schenn's production has fallen off a cliff. In his last eight games, he has no points, and if the Blues want to secure a playoff spot tonight, the team will need Schenn to break out of this scoring slump.
3. Jimmy Snuggerud
I know this might be asking a lot for a rookie who has only played six games in his career, but with the absence of Holloway, the Blues need Jimmy Snuggerud to start producing like he has done at every level of hockey before making it to the NHL. In his six games so far, Snuggerud has racked up two assists, but coming into the NHL, most of the talk was about his goal-scoring ability. In his collegiate career, Snuggerud amassed 66 goals in three seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, becoming only the third player in that program's history to have three consecutive 20-goal seasons. Snuggerud has yet to light the lamp in his NHL career, but there would be no better moment to get his first career goal than in the game against Utah tonight.