The St. Louis Blues finally get a bit of a breather. They've played 10 games since the break for the Winter Olympics, and are sporting a surprising 7-2-1 record in that time. Their playoff odds are extremely slim (1.4 percent, according to Money Puck), but they've started to claw their way out of the enormous hole they dug themselves the rest of the season. That may not be the best thing for the overall future of the organization, but the front office has quite a mountain to climb regardless of where the Blues finish in the standings.
This week, there are only two games on the docket for the Blues, both of them on the road against the other two bottom feeders in the Western Conference. If they want to have any chance to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to win these two games; if they lose both in regulation, they're right back in the draft lottery. Let's break it down.
@ Calgary Flames, March 18
The Flames sold hard at the trade deadline, sending Rasmus Andersson to the Vegas Golden Knights weeks in advance, then MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth and Nazem Kadri back to the Colorado Avalanche (there's a reason its good the Blues are taking a step back in this Central Division). The Flames are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games, and their minus-42 goal differential is only slightly better than the Blues' own minus-45. Flames netminder Dustin Wolf has struggled of late, but he's still a talented enough young goalie that the Blues will have to work to beat him; the rest of the Flames roster is far less intimidating.
@ Vancouver Cancuks, March 21
The Blues may be a bad team (or mediocre, at least), but the Canucks are a bad team: a minus-75 goal differential, a 20-38-8 record, and they've only won four games since January 1. They are a disaster, and losing to them could end the Blues' season from sheer embarrassment alone. This is a should-win for the Blues on paper in just about every facet, and it's an absolute must-win if they want to close in on a wildcard spot.