NHL teams are either being eliminated from playoff contention or clenching spots left and right, and then there are the Blues. They’ve been rolling with a seven game win streak, they’re 9-0-1 in their last ten, they have 98 points... and there they are, still tied with tonight’s opponent for second in the Central Division.
The Minnesota Wild have honestly been the division’s most pleasant surprise this season, fighting with the Blues for prime playoff positioning for most of it. Once everyone acknowledged that there was no catching the Colorado Avalanche, the push for home ice became about two teams and two teams only.