The St. Louis Blues continue their road trip out to the west coast, with three games on the docket this week. They finished last week with a solid 3-1 win over the powerhouse Minnesota Wild, where Robert Thomas returned to the lineup from injury and immediately made an impact, scoring a goal and an assist. Though he may not be around much longer, it was good to see Thomas get back on the ice: the season may be as good as over for the 22-29-9 Blues, but they've still got their pride to play for. Let's get into this week's games.
@ Seattle Kraken, March 4
The Blues just faced the 28-22-9 Kraken last week in their first game after the Olympic break, and soundly defeated them 5-1 at home in St. Louis. The Kraken are a bit better at home, going 15-9-5 in their barn, and they're clinging to a wildcard spot in the western conference. This is the last game the Blues have before the trade deadline, so it may be the last time we see few players don the Blue Note sweater.
@ San Jose Sharks, March 6
If you'd told anyone at the start of the season that the San Jose Sharks were vying for a playoff spot in March, they'd laugh you out of the room. Here we are, though, and the 29-25-4 Sharks are just a couple points back of the wildcard (and even a Pacific Division berth!) with quite a few games in hand on the teams ahead of them. Underestimate this upstart young team at your own peril.
@ Anaheim Ducks, March 8
Another surprise playoff contender, the Ducks are 33-23-3 and sit second in the Pacific Division. They've won five straight at time of writing and, considering how weak the Pacific is, are looking ever closer to being playoff locks. The Ducks are a streaky team, though, so they could just as easily go on a losing streak and sink down the standings--maybe the Blues can give them one such loss.