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The season's over, but there's no rest for the wicked. The playoffs start next week, and the Blues finished the regular season with a win, albiet a not-dominant one, over the Chicago Blackhawks. Most of the Hawks' regulars were sitting this one out, including Corey Crawford, so this wasn't a tough game for the Blues to win.
Which, of course, meant that during portions of the first and third periods they floated. You can't get angry, because they were probably doing it since they were already in the playoffs and that this wasn't exactly a Hawks team that they to try against. Still, some effort would have been nice just to get them in the mindset of "hey, we need to focus." Also, the Blues still had fourth place to play for.
They locked into it tonight, and they'll be facing the winner of tonight's Kings/Sharks game in the first round. Just because they took a little bit of playing time off tonight shouldn't mean that they'll do it once the post-season starts, and either team - the Sharks or Kings - should motivate them to play tough hockey.
Jaden Schwartz netted two goals tonight, and Patrick Berglund had this absolute beauty while falling forward:
Elliott allowed one goal on 28 shots, allowing six goals in their last six home games. Home ice advantage might be beneficial for this team if the magic continues forward, especially with Elliott playing hands down the best hockey of his career.
Check back tomorrow for a playoff matchup preview of whoever the Blues draw in round one. Brace yourselves - now the fun starts.
Thanks to everyone for your support and for reading the Game Time website this season - it's been short, but it's been a blast keeping everyone entertained.