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Tim Kavanagh, ESPN.comMar 25, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
CloseTim Kavanagh is a senior editor for ESPN digital editorial. He’s a native of upstate New York.
Following the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup championship run in 2019, the team kept their fans engaged with playoff returns the following three seasons. An 81-point campaign in 2022-23 landed them sixth in the Central Division and outside the playoff picture, and they are currently outside the playoff mix heading into Monday’s two-game NHL schedule.
In fact, Stathletes projects their chances of a postseason berth at 4.6%. So can they pull off a mild upset and qualify?
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That process begins Monday night as the Blues host the team they are directly chasing for a wild-card spot, the Vegas Golden Knights (8 p.m. ET, NHL Network). The Knights have a four-point edge in the points column (83-79), and are two games ahead in regulation wins. Vegas also has a game in hand on St. Louis.
The bad news: following Monday’s matchup, the Blues have the Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars on the remaining schedule. The good news: they have the San Jose Sharks (twice!), Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks (plus a game apiece against the non-playoff-bound Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken).
What about the Golden Knights? The defending Cup champs have some tough matchups on the way as well, including two against the Vancouver Canucks, and one apiece against the Oilers, Preds, Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche; in addition, they have two contests against the Minnesota Wild, another club trying to chase them down. But, they also have a game against the Arizona Coyotes to break up that tough slate, and then close out with games against the Blackhawks and Ducks (just in case they need four more points to seal the deal).
So it’s a tough task, but not an impossible one, for the Blues to extend their season beyond 82 games. A regulation win on Monday night would make it just a little…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39800221/nhl-playoffs-bracket-standings-2024-blues-wild-card-chances
Author : Tim Kavanagh
Publish date : 2024-03-25 11:17:20
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