The St. Louis Blues look like a team peaking at the right time, and that might pay more dividends than you may otherwise think if you’re a fan living in Arch City. Lately, they’ve been one of the NHL’s premier teams and that reputation won’t be going away soon.
Lower-liners like Alexey Toropchenko have stepped up along with top-six names like Jordan Kyrou. This trend may not end soon, and if that’s the case, it’ll be a godsend for a fanbase that will and should say that two seasons without a playoff berth is too many.
When you look at the current NHL standings heading into Wednesday’s small slate of matchups, you can also argue that the Blues are among the hottest teams in hockey when you factor in the last 10 games. And for me, only three teams might be hotter at this point: the Carolina Hurricanes, the Montreal Canadiens, plus a team that’s an all-too-familiar face for the Blues.
One familiar team may be peaking at the right time in the Central
Oh, and speaking of Wednesday’s tiny slate, that team will also be taking the ice tonight. Yep, the Colorado Avalanche look like a unit that could be looking primed for a deep playoff run. And let’s face it: They got the better team at the moment over the Blues.
No, it doesn’t mean, should any unprecedented meeting occur in the playoffs, that the Avalanche will beat the Blues - we can’t assume anything. But on paper, this team is fourth in the league in goals scored with 227, and 13th in goals allowed with 195. And to be even more real, Colorado’s defense is even better than that mid-range No. 13 rank in goals given up since their netminder situation was horrendous back in October and November.
Anyway, if you want even more proof of Colorado’s success, look no further than the 8-1-1 record across their last 10 games. Yeah, the Blues were, going into Wednesday’s slate, the last team to beat Colorado in regulation, but it seems like they awakened a monster in the Rocky Mountains.
St. Louis Blues may’ve lit a fire under the Colorado Avalanche
Since that game, the Avs haven’t lost in regulation, and they’ve outscored opponents 40-18. Let’s do some simple math, and you get 4.44 goals per game and 2.00 allowed. And while St. Louis’ power play has improved, the Avs are a sparkling 10 for 26 in this span, good for a 38.4 conversion percentage.
They’ve won 51.5 percent of their faceoffs, but the number that impresses me more than any other is their 57.5 Corsi For Percentage. Yeah, this means the Avs are more than just making the most of creating scoring chances for themselves. And until someone finds a way to stop them, expect this relentless onslaught to continue and it might just follow them into the playoffs.
So, let’s assume that everything mentioned above remains equal from now until the back half of April. It means the Blues will be in the playoffs, even if they still have a little ground to make up. And a pesky group like St. Louis that’s entering the second wild card and starting to figure it out means a few teams out there won’t want to face them.
But right now, if I’m in the Western Conference, or if I’m the Dallas Stars, I do not want to deal with Colorado. And if I’m the Blues and I’m facing and (hopefully) getting the best of the Winnipeg Jets, Colorado is that team I’d rather not play in Round 2 should the dominoes fall correctly. No, we can’t make assumptions, but Colorado also looks like one unstoppable force.