The St. Louis Blues found New Year's Eve a huge success, as they demolished the Chicago Blackhawks, 6-2, at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. With a big Central Division win, they remain stagnant in the fifth position. Where do they fit in?
Central Division
The Blues sit in fifth position in the Central Division. But, it is much closer than that in regards to points. Here is how it shakes down. The Winnipeg Jets hold the division lead at 55 points, followed by the Minnesota Wild at 50. Underneath them, it gets much closer knit, with both the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars being separated by a point piece at 46 and 45 points. Then lies the Blues, who sit in front of Utah at 38 points, Nashville at 29 points, and Chicago at 26 points.
Even though the Blues narrowly stand in front of Utah in the standings, the interesting tidbit with that is the goal differential. The Blues are at -11 on the year, conceding 117 goals and scoring 106. The Utah Hockey Club, who desperately need to select a name already, have also scored 106 goals on the year but conceded 112.
The Western Conference is fun this season, especially at the near mid-way point. Dallas and Calgary occupy the wildcard spots, but they only sit just five and three points ahead of the Blues. Between them is another adversary that is closing in on a potential playoff berth at the end of the regular season. The Vancouver Canucks sit ahead of St. Louis at 42 points, right behind Calgary.
Can they make up ground?
The Blues have all four of their games with Colorado yet to be played, as well as two more against Minnesota and Dallas. That is a ton of points up for grabs, and if the Blues can make the most of those games, they can certainly steal a playoff spot away from someone.
Who knows if they will grab the spot from the Central Divison opponents, but they may be able to edge out someone from the Pacific Divison for the wildcard spot.
Where do you think the Blues will end up in the Central Divison at the end of the regular season?