For the St. Louis Blues, the season is essentially over. They've been eliminated from playoff contention, and their 34-33-12 record for 80 standings points puts them at eighth worse in the league at time of writing; their .506 points percentage has them slightly better than the Florida Panthers, who also have 80 points. Unless they win out, the Blues are almost certain to have a top-ten draft pick, and maybe even top five if things go completely off the rails.
It's been a disappointing season for the Blues, who came in with high expectations after nearly knocking out the President's Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets in the first round last year. They sold at the deadline (and it looks like they'll be getting a pretty good pick from one of those trades), their top players had generally underwhelming seasons, and by the time everything started coming together after the Olympic break, it was already too late.
They've still got three games to play, all against teams that are essentially locked into their playoff spots. There's a good chance the Blues will be facing B-squads, as these teams may rest their best players for what's sure to be grueling first-round matchups.
vs. the Minnesota Wild, 4/13
The Wild are limping into the playoffs, going 6-4-0 in their last ten and lost their last two. Make no mistake, however, that this is a good team: third in the top-heavy Central Division with Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes, two of the best players in the league at their respective positions. The Wild can't catch the Dallas Stars for home ice, though, nor can any team in the Central catch them in third, so don't be surprised if Kaprizov, Hughes, and a number of other players aren't in the lineup on Monday.
vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4/14
It sure looks like we're going to get a Penguins/Philadelphia Flyers matchup in the first round of the Metropolitan Division and, while the rivalry isn't what it once was, that's an exciting proposition. The Flyers still need to secure their playoff spot, but the Penguins have clinched the second seed in the Metro and don't have much else to play for in their last game of the season. Once again, the Blues may face a depleted lineup, and the Penguins could look very different next season: Evgeni Malkin could be on the verge of retirement. This could be a generational team's last dance.
@ the Utah Mammoth, 4/16
The Blues' final game of the season, on the road, may be the only one this week that matters: the Mammoth have clinched a playoff berth, but not their seeding. The LA Kings are currently three points behind with three games to play, and the difference between wildcard one and two is enormous: the first wildcard gets the winner of the pillow Pacific (Vegas, maybe?), and the second wildcard gets the President's Trophy winning Colorado Avalanche. Who gets the first wildcard could come down to the final day of the season, in which case: expect the Mammoth to come out swinging against the Blues--a good game would be a great way to conclude a disappointing season.