Starting on Tuesday the St. Louis Blues will host the Minnesota Wild. This is an in division tilt against an opponent most pundits have compared to the Blues. Not in scheme or player personnel, but in potential end of the year placement. The Wild, much like the Blues, need to see a lot of things fall in their favor in order to make a run at the playoffs this season.
After Tuesday, the Blues will play host to the Islanders, Hurricanes, and Jets. That's four teams (five including the Blues) that all were pre-season teams either considered a fringe playoff team or team that will just be on the outside looking in by season's end.
This is why this homestand could determine so much for a St. Louis team that is off to a good start (2-1 on the road thus far). Not only will points early in the season be crucial to a team's confidence, but it will also be against competition that they will likely be competing with at the end of the season points-wise.
The Central division is much improved as well. The Chicago Blackhawks just went into the Western Conference champions' home ice and beat them 5-2. They were also a few seconds away from a shutout on Winnipeg's ice. They can't be over-looked the way they were a season ago. Early in the year, there are three undefeated teams as well; Dallas, Winnipeg, and Utah.
The two teams expected to be at the top of the Central standings are actually winless (Nashville and Colorado) which bodes troublesome for Central foes. Yes, this looks to be the toughest division in all of the NHL. This is why this upcoming homestand is so important for the Blues and their 2024-2025 season.
Puck drop is 7:30 EDT tomorrow evening at Enterprise Center.