The St. Louis Blues are onto their last game of the 2024-25 season. It has all come down to this, and the stakes have never been higher. But, before game no. 82 is played on Tuesday night against the Utah Hockey Club, there is a sense that it is time to hit the panic button in hopes of making it into the Stanley Cup playoffs.
There is a tight three-way race for the two Western Conference Wildcard spots. The Blues currently hold the second spot, with 94 points. They trail the Minnesota Wild, who have 95 points and one more game to play. The real problem here is the red-hot Calgary Flames team, which has two games left to play and is only two points behind the Blues. If the Flames win out and the Blues lose their final game of the season, the Blues are eliminated.
Time to panic?
Blues hold the keys to their destiny
The most terrifying thing about this situation is that the Blues hold the keys to their destiny. If they had defeated the Kraken in regulation on Saturday night, this would have been an easier path if they had just won. Also, the Flames dismantled the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night, 5-2, inching them closer to that final wildcard spot.
All the Blues need to do is defeat the Utah Hockey Club. That’s it, a regulation win. If the Blues win in overtime or a shootout, and the Flames win both games in regulation, the Flames are in with the tie-breaker, 32-31 regulation wins.
Flames can win their final games
Even though the Flames are facing off against two established playoff teams, this is the time for these teams to throttle down before the most important part of the season. With how well the Flames have been playing over their last eight games, there is no safe feeling. They are 5-1-2, picking up 12 of a possible 16 points to make their playoff push valid.
They face off against the Vegas Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs as the first and second teams in the Pacific Division. Both games are winnable for the Flames, meaning the Blues must win against Utah.
Blues are struggling at worst time
After rattling off a franchise record 12 wins in a row, the Blues have cooled off considerably. They are on a three-game losing streak, only grabbing points in their recent 4-3 overtime loss to Seattle. This is a bad time to have bad performances.
If this team does make it into the playoffs, this cold streak could follow them into their potential and likely first-round opponent, the Winnipeg Jets. They still have a chance to face off against Vegas as the first wildcard team, but Minnesota has to lose in regulation in their final game of the season against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
This team cannot be trusted with the keys in its hands at this time. With how good Calgary has been of late, they have a legitimate shot at overtaking the Blues for the last playoff spot.
Yea, it’s time to panic.