Sitting six points outside the wild card, every game is important for the St. Louis Blues from now until the final horn sounds in the season finale against the Dallas Stars. While that final matchup in Dallas could decide everything, there are three pivotal games coming up over roughly the next two weeks that the Blues must win if they remain in contention throughout that span.
Sure, being six points (and at least three wins) outside of the wild card means there is no such thing as an unimportant game left on the schedule, but the Blues also have some favorable matchups coming up. Over the next few weeks, they will face the Calgary Flames, the San Jose Sharks (twice), the Anaheim Ducks, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Seattle Kraken.
Given the way St. Louis has played lately, there is no reason this team shouldn’t win most of the above games. So, let’s assume that is the case, and they finish a solid 4-1-1, good for nine points, which will give them 89 total.
St. Louis Blues can keep playoff hopes alive by…
Beating most of the teams they are supposed to beat is just one half of the equation, as the Blues have four games against three upcoming opponents that will definitely be in the playoffs and one that will most likely reach the postseason. Now, the record listed above, or even if they went 3-2-1 or 3-1-2, and if Vegas and Nashville sustain a late-season tumble, should at least keep them on the outside looking in.
The season finale against Dallas would already be a must-win, but so will the following three games against some of the league’s toughest groups. Should the Blues lose the matchups listed below, then if they wanted to even think about reaching the playoffs, they better finish 6-0-0 against those teams who will definitely be watching the postseason.