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UPDATE:
#stlblues make official they've recalled Klim Kostin from the taxi squad, assign Dakota Joshua to the taxi squad and assign Nathan Walker to Utica (AHL).
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) May 12, 2021
The Blues are firmly locked into fourth place in the West Division. They can’t go up, they can’t go down - they’re just there. The Wild, on the other hand, still have playoff seeding to fight for. If they win out, and if the Avalanche lose out, the Wild will leapfrog them into second place and home-ice advantage.
If you’re expecting a barn-burner tonight, tamper those expectations. Tamp them way down. The Blues’ 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday was a bit of a drag, and Monday’s win over the Kings wasn’t a high-octane affair either. The Blues need to get into the playoffs with a healthy squad. Tempting fate at this point of the season isn’t worth it.
At today’s practice, these were the lines being run:
#stlblues lines:
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) May 12, 2021
Barbashev-O'Reilly-Perron
Schwartz-Schenn-Kyrou
Kostin-Thomas-Hoffman
Clifford-Sanford-MacEachern
Krug-Faulk
Scandella-Parayko
Mikkola-Bortuzzo
Binnington
Husso
Did someone catch your eye? Maybe on the third line, perhaps?
Klim Kostin has been slotted in with Robert Thomas and Mike Hoffman. This doesn’t mean that Kostin will for sure make his season debut tonight, but if the Blues are planning on using him during the playoffs, getting him some playing time to get his feet wet now would be a good idea (see update above).
The Blues finishing the season with the Wild would be, if they had something to play for, a good thing. St. Louis has played Minnesota very well this season. The series is all Blues, 4-1-1. The Wild have forced extra time three times, winning one of those, so they put up a fight.
The Blues could easily play spoiler tonight if they feel like it. If Kostin’s in the lineup, maybe that could be the motivation that they need.