Raise your hand if you thought a month ago that the Blues could possibly be in the points race for the top of the Central Division.
You in the back, you lie. Put your hand down.
Shockingly enough, the Blues find themselves in that position. With just one regulation loss since the start of the All-Star Weekend/bye week, the Blues have 72 points. They’re 8-1-1 in their last ten games. The two teams above them, Winnipeg and Nashville, have been average at best. The Jets, who fell to second in the Central, are 3-5-2 in their last ten. Tonight’s opponents, the Nashville Predators, have been a little better, going 5-4-1. Winnipeg has 78 points on the season; the Predators have 79.
The Blues? They have 72 points and have played three fewer games than the Predators. To say that tonight’s game is important is a massive understatement.
The Preds are 16-11-4 away from Bridgestone Arena, but the Blues are riding a three-game win streak against Nashville. The Preds will look a little different tonight with the additions of Mikael Granlund from the Minnesota Wild and Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers. Both were acquired before yesterday’s trade deadline. It’s a marked improvement for the contender and will make them difficult to face. They also played Monday, so they’re a little less fresh than the Blues, who lost 2-1 in overtime to the Wild on Sunday. Granted, they played Edmonton, so insert your own joke here.
The Blues acquired Michael Del Zotto, so there’s that.
This is the last time these two teams will meet during the regular season; the Blues have a 3-1-0 record, which is part of the reason why they’re in striking distance. They have to make tonight’s points count, so a regulation win would be huge.