Wild at Blues
The St. Louis Blues’ quest for the highest point total in the Western Conference is coming down to the final day of the regular season. The Central Division-champion Blues look for two points when they host the Minnesota Wild in the finale for both teams on Saturday.
The Wild are heading to the playoffs as well and reside two points behind third-place Chicago in the division. Minnesota defeated St. Louis on two occasions and is 9-3-1 over its last 13 contests, and took the first two games of its road trip with victories at Chicago and Nashville to match the NHL record with 12 straight road wins. The Wild can pass the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings for the record on Saturday, though St. Louis is looking to finish strong and lock up the top spot in the West. “It's a long year,” Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told reporters. “We accomplished a lot this year. We've still got to try and clinch home ice advantage on Saturday for the rest of the playoffs. We've still got a lot to play for.”
TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE WILD (46-27-8): Minnesota’s 4-2 win at Nashville on Thursday brought the team to 100 points for only the second time in franchise history. “I know it doesn't sound like much, and it's only two points, but I think there's a big difference between 98 and 100 points,” Wild coach Mike Yeo told reporters. “When you get over the 100-point plateau, I think that's a mark of a really good hockey team. That meant something to us, but I think (breaking the road record would) be something special for sure.” Minnesota and St. Louis are looking toward a potential first-round meeting and the Wild would like to prove they have no trouble winning in Scottrade Center.
ABOUT THE BLUES (50-24-7): St. Louis is tied with Anaheim at 107 points and needs one more than the Ducks due to tiebreakers. The Blues are 4-1-0 in their last five games and have surrendered a total of three goals in the last three contests, capped by a 2-1 win over Chicago on Thursday that locked up the Central Division title. “A division championship in this division, I think, means a lot,” captain David Backes told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “You name every team, there’s no gimme’s at all, and each team probably deserves to make the playoffs. But we’ve done enough to secure a Central Division championship.”
OVERTIME
1. St. Louis LW Alexander Steen (knee) is expected to return from a six-game absence.
2. Wild LW Zach Parise (undisclosed) and LW Thomas Vanek (undisclosed) both sat out Thursday and are questionable for the finale.
3. Minnesota took two meetings in March by a combined 9-4.