Well, fancy that: the St. Louis Blues are nipping at the heels of a Western Conference wildcard spot (pay no attention to how many more games they've played than a couple of the teams in front of them). They've won two in a row and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. This is less "the Blues have figured it out and are good," and more "everyone in the West sorta stinks, and the Blues are just less bad at the moment," but hey, at least they're in a playoff race many counted them out of a month ago.
This week, the Blues are on the road for all three of their games, and the first two on the docket are essentially must-wins against division rivals if they want to keep those playoff hopes afloat, followed by a first-in-their-division team that probably shouldn't be first in their division. Let's get into it!
@ the Chicago Blackhawks, 1/7
It was fun while it lasted for Blackhawks fans, as Chicago has tumbled down the standings after a hot start. Without Connor Bedard in the lineup, they just aren't a competitive team. Bedard is close to returning, but it's unlikely he (and Frank Nazar) are ready for this matchup against the Blues. The Hawks are 17-18-7 on the season, but they've won three straight--you can't underestimate them.
@ the Utah Mammoth, 1/9
Really, this week should be nicknamed the Tour of Broken Dreams, because much like the Blackhawks, the Mammoth's hot start is now a distant memory. Utah is 19-20-3 for the season, and 5-5-0 in their last 10 games--perfectly mediocre. Again, like the Blackhawks, this is a different team without its young star leading the charge; in the Mammoth's case, that would be Logan Cooley. The Blues and Mammoth are neck-and-neck in the standings, so this road game has a case to be the most important of the week for St. Louis.
@ the Vegas Golden Knights, 1/10
The Blues head to Vegas for the second half of their back-to-back, and boy, the Knights sure are something, aren't they? First place in the Pacific Division with 46 standings points (that's three more points than the team in last place in the entire Eastern Conference), sporting a 17-11-12 record. My math might be wrong, but that's 17 wins and 23 losses--and still they're atop the division (though the Oilers have caught up to them). The Knights are 2-5-3 in their last 10, and on a five-game losing skid; it's hard to remember the last time a division was this weak, so here's hoping the Blues can take advantage of a floundering team.