Blues Clinch Playoff Spot Against Potential Playoff Opponent

Eleven days after the Colorado Avalanche locked in a playoff spot, the NHL's Western Conference finally has another spot sealed. The St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild faced each other in a Central Division battle where both teams entered with chances to clinch spots. The Blues had their destiny in full control; all they had to do was win. However, the Blues went from leading 4-1 to being tied at 5 after regulation, but Brayden Schenn's OT goal not only gave the Blues their 100th point of the season, it also gave them their fourth straight playoff appearance.

I still fondly remember the Blues' amazing Stanley Cup run in 2019. The amazing thing: they narrowly missed the playoffs a season before that run, and they entered January 2019 with the worst record in the entire league! Yet they went on an impressive run that led them to the playoffs, and they ran the entire table; going through the Winnipeg Jets, the Dallas Stars, the San Jose Sharks, and finally, the Boston Bruins to win their first Stanley Cup in their franchise history.

The Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup run was led by two things: the iconic song, Gloria, by the late Laura Branigan, and the stellar goaltending of Jordan Binnington. It was during the middle of that season that Binnington was thrust into the main position in net over a struggling Jake Allen, and he was absolutely golden. However, it seems like the Stanley Cup luster is gone, as his last two seasons have not treated him kindly. It all started with Nazem Kadri beating the buzzer against Binnington in the Blues' first Round Robin game in the Edmonton bubble, and it all went south from there. The Vancouver Canucks shelled Binnington in the Western Conference Quarterfinals that year, and 2021 saw him decimated by the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round. Game 7 of the 2019 Final is Binnington's last playoff win to date; he has lost his last nine playoff starts, and he's had a sub-.900 SV% in each of the last two postseasons.

Binnington's struggles continued this season; 15-13-4, a SV% of .902, and his GAA is pi: 3.14. He has two shutouts, but still, he remains a far cry from the goalie who led the Blues to that Cup in 2019. Binnington's struggles have led to Ville Husso stepping in and saving the Blues with his stellar play. Husso's numbers: 24-6-5, 2.44 GAA, .923 SV%, and two shutouts. The Blues' overall GAA is 2.81, which is 10th in the league, and most of that is thanks to Husso.

To the surprise of no one, Vladimir Tarasenko is leading the way for the Blues. 32 goals, 41 assists, 73 points total. Tarasenko's 32 goals lead the team, and nine of them are game-winning goals, which also lead the team. Though Tarasenko is the team's leader, the Blues' amazing season has been a team effort. Players such as Robert Thomas (18 G-54 A-72 P), Jordan Kyrou (23-G-42 A-65 P), David Perron (26 G-28 A-54 P; including a team leading 10 PP goals), and captain Ryan O'Reilly (17 G-32 A-49 P) have contributed largely to the team. Another main contributor is Pavel Buchnevich, who the Blues acquired from the New York Rangers, and he is 3rd on the team with 68 points (27 G/41 A). Brandon Saad (another offseason acquisition) has 46 points of his own (22 G/24 A), while Justin Faulk's 41 points (13 G/28 A) lead Blues defensemen.

It's no surprise that the Blues scored six goals in their playoff clinching game. The Blues are in the top five in scoring this season; putting up 3.71 goals per game. Their power play is also in the top five at 28.9%, trailing only the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. St. Louis' penalty kill percentage of 83.6 is sixth in the league, and they have scored nine shorthanded goals. The win over the Wild was the last regular season meeting between the clubs, but with the way things look in the standings, it's a foregone conclusion that we will see these teams meet in the Central Division Semifinals. What we saw in that 6-5 overtime win was a sneak preview of what to expect from these two teams in the playoffs, and it will be an absolutely amazing series when this matchup becomes official!

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