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Last night, folks figured that the Wild would be a challenge for the Blues, seeing as how they were still playing for home ice advantage in the playoffs. The Blues, on the other hand, are locked into fourth place with nowhere to go.
That is decidedly not how it went.
The Blues rang four goals up on Cam Talbot while getting Ville Husso his first NHL shutout. Playing spoiler for the Wild was a surprisingly good motivation, if that’s what motivated them. Something certainly motivated David Perron, who ended the game with a goal and two assists. This was the Blues’ first shutout since March of 2020, when Jake Allen blanked the Blackhawks.
Tonight odds are good that both teams will be taking it easy to prevent anyone from getting hurt just in time for the postseason. Will we be seeing Sammy Blais, Vladimir Tarasenko, Vince Dunn, and Tyler Bozak in tonight? Coach Craig Berube hinted at him wanting to get them some playing time, but we won’t know until the lineup’s released later on this afternoon.
The Blues will figure out later on tonight if they’re playing the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights, and this game has zero bearing on either St. Louis’ or Minnesota’s opponents for the next round. What this game is, though, is a good warm-up for the playoffs ahead.